Sault Ste. Marie in Algoma District, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
Edison Sault Electric Building
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 11, 2024
1. Edison Sault Electric Building Marker
In 1887, Edison Sault Light and Power Company developed the first hydroelectric generation in the American waters of the St. Marys River. In 1891, Edison Sault Electric Company bought out Edison Sault Light and Power and started the utility that still presently serves the Eastern Upper Peninsula. The Hydroelectric Plant and Power Canal as it exists today began construction in 1898 and was completed in 1902. The powerhouse is 400 metres long and contains 78 horizontal AC generators, making it the longest horizontal shaft hydro facility in the world. Under the most favorable operating conditions this plant has the capability to generate 36 MW of power to Edison Sault Electric Company's customers.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1902.
Location. 46° 30.591′ N, 84° 20.337′ W. Marker is in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in Algoma District. It can be reached from Saint Mary's River Drive 0.3 kilometers west of Bay Street, on the left when traveling west. The marker is located on the St. Marys
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the Sault Ste. Marie and Algoma Area and in Northern Ontario. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, in the Great North Woods, on Lake Superiors North Shore, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Ruperts Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: William Henry Bill Orazietti (within shouting distance of this marker); Spirits Rising (within shouting distance of this marker); Anna Jameson (within shouting distance of this marker); Roberta Bondar Park (about 210 meters away, measured in a direct line); The St. Marys River / La riviθre Sainte-Marie (approx. 0.2 kilometers away); Passenger and Packet Freighters on the Upper Great Lakes (approx. 0.3 kilometers away);
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 11, 2024
2. Edison Sault Electric Building Marker
Looking southeast along the St. Marys River Waterfront Boardwalk. The marker is mounted on the boardwalk railing. The subject powerhouse building is in the left background, across the St. Marys River in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, USA.
Also see . . . Saint Marys Falls Hydropower Plant (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: The Saint Marys Falls Hydropower Plant (also known as the Edison Sault Power Plant, Michigan Lake Superior Hydroelectric Power Plant, and the Cloverland Electric Cooperative Powerhouse) is an 18-MW hydroelectric generating plant located in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It extracts water from the St. Marys River under the supervision of the Army Corps of Engineers, and the power is taken up and distributed by the Cloverland Electric Cooperative.(Submitted on May 10, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)One of the oldest large generating stations still operating in the United States, the power canal and generator complex were completed in June 1902, using engineering work from the first iteration of large-scale electrical generation in the late 1800s. It was from this work that the plant and utility that grew up around it acquired their historic name of Edison Sault, although Thomas Edison did not himself build the plant.
The hydropower plant was built to contain 74 generators under a single roof. This was done under the constraints of the Classical style, by building an industrial structure of 1,340 feet (410 m) in length parallel to the St. Marys River and facing the structure with masonry. The sandstone facing of the power station was chiseled out of blocks pulled from the Edison Sault Power Canal, the feeder canal that chutes water to the plant. The power canal and hydroelectric plant were together named a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1983.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 11, 2024
3. Edison Sault Electric Building / Saint Marys Falls Hydropower Plant (north/river elevation)
Looking south across the St. Marys River from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. The building, today known as the Saint Marys Falls Hydropower Plant, is in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, USA.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 10, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 8, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 424 times since then and 114 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 9, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
