Sault Ste. Marie in Algoma District, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
The Métis in Sault Ste. Marie
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Les Métis de Sault Ste. Marie
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 11, 2024
1. The Métis in Sault Ste. Marie / Les Métis de Sault Ste. Marie Marker
Following the establishment of a fur trade post by the Northwest Company in the late 18th century, a small village started to emerge around the fort. Over time these Métis families established their lives and livelihood along the river, fishing in the rapids, hunting, gathering and cultivating the area. Visit our new exhibits in the Stores Building to discover more about this story.
Après l'établissement d'un poste de traite des fourrures par la Compagnie du Nord-Ouest à la fin du XVIIIe siècle, un petit village a commencé à se former autour du fort. Au fil du temps, ces familles métisses ont bâti leur vie et établi leurs moyens de subsistance le long de la rivière, pratiquant la pêche dans les rapides, la chasse, la cueillette et les cultures dans la région. Visitez nos nouvelles expositions dans le bâtiment des magasins pour en savoir plus sur cette histoire.
Erected by Parks
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers.
Location. 46° 30.799′ N, 84° 21.03′ W. Marker is in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in Algoma District. It can be reached from Canal Drive 0.7 kilometers south of Huron Street, on the left when traveling west. The marker is located along the interpretive walkway at the Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 Canal Drive, Sault Ste Marie ON P6A 6W4, Canada. Touch for directions.
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 Superior’s 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 Rupert’s
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 11, 2024
2. The Métis in Sault Ste. Marie / Les Métis de Sault Ste. Marie Marker
Looking north; the Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site parking lot is in the background.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Baawaating — the Place of the Rapids / Baawaating — le lieu des rapides (here, next to this marker); Sault Ste. Marie Canal / Canal de Sault Ste. Marie (here, next to this marker); D-Day/Jour J (here, next to this marker); Equality and Multiculturalism / Égalité et multiculturalisme (here, next to this marker); Celebrating Indigenous History and Heritage / Célébrons l'histoire et le patrimoine autochtones (here, next to this marker); The Canal at war, 1914 / Le canal en guerre, 1914 (a few steps from this marker); The Sault's Industrial Heritage / Le patrimoine industriel du Sault (within shouting distance of this marker); Waterfront / Les Rives (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sault Ste. Marie.
Also see . . .
1. The Historic Sault Ste. Marie Métis Community.
Excerpt: The Métis Nation has a long and proud history in the Upper Great Lakes, with many of its most important stories having links to Sault Ste. Marie. As early as the 1810s, the Métis community in Sault Ste. Marie acted as a distinct political entity. They made decisions together, as Métis, then acted together, as Métis, separate from their First Nation and European relatives.(Submitted on May 15, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
In the 1890s, 40 years after the Robinson Treaties, the Borron Report recognized that “the Half-Breeds” of Sault Ste. Marie were still a distinct and identifiable community in the Upper Great Lakes. While some had been forced off their River Lots, they continued to live separately and distinct from the Anishinaabe, and were considered welcomed neighbours.
A hundred years later, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP) recognized that the presence of historic Métis communities in the Upper Great Lakes remained indisputable. It specifically highlighted the “particularly long and eventful history” of the Métis community in Sault Ste Marie, and recognized it as one of the better known historic Métis communities, alongside the Red River, White Horse Plains, Pembina, Batoche, and St. Albert.
2. First Métis Heritage Centre in Ontario Opens in Sault Ste. Marie.
(October 23, 2024) Excerpt: The Heritage Centre will serve as a permanent home for the stories and legacy of the historic and contemporary Métis community in Sault Ste. Marie. It features two permanent exhibits: “Born Upon the Soil: The Sault Ste. Marie Métis Experience” and “Remembering the Powley Case,” which honours the landmark legal victory that affirmed Métis rights in Canada. “This Heritage Centre is a physical reminder of our community’s history in Sault Ste. Marie, a reminder that down-town Sault Ste. Marie is built on top of lands once home to dozens of Métis River Lots, which were sold out from under our ancestors as increasing waves of settlers arrived in the region after 1850,” said Steve Gjos, Sault Ste. Marie Métis Council President.(Submitted on May 15, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on May 15, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 14, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 223 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 15, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
