Sault Ste. Marie in Algoma District, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

The Sault's Industrial Heritage
⎯⎯⎯
Le patrimoine industriel du Sault

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 11, 2024

1. The Sault's Industrial Heritage / Le patrimoine industriel du Sault Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

[English] Construction of the Canal ushered in a golden age of industrial development at the Sault. Cheap power, easy transportation, abundant raw materials and a growing workforce combined with bold vision by entrepreneurs such as Francis H. Clergue led to the establishment of steel, pulp and paper and other industrial enterprises. The Sault's industrial heritage is still visible on the waterfront.

[Français] La construction du canal a marqué le début d'un âge d'or du développement industriel au Sault. Énergie bon marché, facilité du transport, abondance de matières premières et main-d’œuvre sans cesse croissante, associées à la vision intrépide d'entrepreneurs tels que Francis H. Clergue, ont concouru à l'établissement d'entreprises de fabrication d'acier, de pâtes et papiers et d'autres encore. On peut encore voir le patrimoine industriel du Sault sur les rives.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce.

Location. 46° 30.79′ N, 84° 21.015′ W. Marker is in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in Algoma District. It can be reached

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from Canal Drive 0.7 kilometers south of Huron Street, on the left when traveling west. The marker is located at the Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site, on the observation deck atop the old Canalmen's Shelter building. 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 Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Waterfront / Les Rives (here, next to this marker); Canal Under Construction, 1894 / Le canal en construction, 1894 (here, next to this marker); Celebrating Indigenous History and Heritage / Célébrons l'histoire et le patrimoine autochtones

Marker detail: View looking north across the power canal at industrial complex image. Click for full size.

SSMC collection

2. Marker detail: View looking north across the power canal at industrial complex

Vue en direction du nord, de l’autre côté du canal électrique d’un complexe industriel • • • inset photo: Francis H. Clergue (1856-1939) [Ontario Archives S 3843]

(a few steps from this marker); Equality and Multiculturalism / Égalité et multiculturalisme (a few steps from 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) (a few steps from this marker); The Métis in Sault Ste. Marie / Les Métis de Sault Ste. Marie (within shouting distance of this marker); Sault Ste. Marie Canal / Canal de Sault Ste. Marie (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sault Ste. Marie.

Also see . . .
1. Sault Ste. Marie Canal (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: The Sault Ste. Marie Canal is a National Historic Site, and is part of the national park system, managed by Parks Canada. It includes a lock to bypass the rapids on the St. Marys River. The first canal near the site was built in 1798, but was destroyed in 1814 during the War of 1812. The present canal dates to 1895, and formed part of the shipping route from the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Superior, along with the two locks on the US side of the river.
NAC PA-43396 Archive

3. Marker detail: Sault Ste. Marie power plant interior
Intérieure de l’usine électrique de Sault Ste. Marie

(Submitted on May 16, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Francis Hector Clergue (Wikipedia).

Excerpt: American businessman who became the leading industrialist of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada, at the turn of the 20th century. Clergue expanded power generation at Sault Ste. Marie to a level where it could supply both municipal power and power for several industries and used hydropower as the nexus of a whirlwind of industrialization. In 1895, the Sault Ste. Marie Pulp and Paper Company (later St. Mary's Paper) was established. Clergue soon set his sights on the steel industry, but first he needed a ready supply of iron. With the 1897 discovery of hematite ore near Wawa in the northern part of Algoma District, Clergue quickly bought the mining claim and opened the Helen Mine, which was named after one of his sisters. To service the mine, he incorporated the Algoma Central Railway, one of the companies which is most associated with his legacy. In the east, near Sudbury, he purchased two nickel mining properties in 1899. In 1901, construction began on Clergue's steel mill at Sault Ste. Marie,
SSMC Collection

4. Marker detail: Modern view of industrial complex of buildings at the Sault
Vue moderne des bâtiments d’un complexe industriel au Sault
which would ultimately become Algoma Steel.

(Submitted on May 16, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 11, 2024

5. The Sault's Industrial Heritage / Le patrimoine industriel du Sault Marker

Looking north from the observation deck atop the old Canalmen's Shelter building.

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 127 times since then and 10 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 15, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 5. submitted on May 16, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.

The Sault's Industrial Heritage⎯⎯⎯Le patrimoine industriel du Sault

The Sault's Industrial Heritage
⎯⎯⎯
Le patrimoine industriel du Sault