Sault Ste. Marie in Algoma District, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
Waterfront
⎯⎯⎯
Les Rives
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 11, 2024
1. Waterfront / Les Rives Marker
[image caption]
• View of the lower canal looking towards the city circa 1910.
• Today you are standing on top of this building — the Canalmens’ Shelter.
[légende d'image]
• Vue de la partie aval du canal en direction de la ville aux environs de 1910.
• Aujourd’hui vous vous tenez au sommet de ce bâtiment – l’abri des manœuvres.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1910.
Location. 46° 30.788′ N, 84° 21.013′ 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
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 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 Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Canal Under Construction, 1894 / Le canal en construction, 1894 (here, next to this marker); The Sault's Industrial Heritage / Le patrimoine industriel du Sault (here, next to this marker); A National Historic Site at the Sault / Un lieu historique national au Sault (a few steps from this marker); The All Canadian Waterway (1895-1959) / La voie navigable entièrement canadienne (1895-1959)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 11, 2024
2. Waterfront / Les Rives Marker
Looking east along the canal from atop the old Canalmen’s Shelter. The Sault Ste. Marie waterfront is in the background.
Also see . . . Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site (Parks Canada).
Excerpt: The Sault Ste. Marie Canal was constructed between 1889 and 1895 to bypass the turbulent rapids of the St. Marys River and to provide the last link in Canada's Great Lakes St. Lawrence shipping route. The canal was cut through the bedrock of St. Marys Island. Red sandstone excavated from the cut was used for the construction of buildings on the site. When the lock opened in 1895, its chamber, 274 m long and 18 m wide, was the world's largest.(Submitted on May 16, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)Stonecutters laboured for four years, using sandstone for the approach walls and limestone from the Windsor area and Manitoulin Island for the lock chamber. Foundries in Owen Sound, Welland, Toronto, and Montréal poured the cast-iron valves and lock gate machinery parts, and the four-year old Canadian General Electric Company supplied the generators, switches, wiring, and panels to power the machinery and illuminate the canal. On September 7, 1895, the lock was officially opened with the locking through of the Majestic, a new Canadian passenger steamer. Canada finally had an all-Canadian waterway from the Atlantic Ocean to the head of the Great Lakes.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 16, 2025. It was originally submitted on May 14, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 104 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 16, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
