Sault Ste. Marie in Algoma District, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)
A National Historic Site at the Sault
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Un lieu historique national au Sault
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 11, 2024
1. A National Historic Site at the Sault / Un lieu historique national au Sault Marker
The Sault Ste. Marie Canal is of national historic significance because:
• when opened in 1895, it was one of eight main line canals along the Great Lakes — St. Lawrence system and formed the final link in an all Canadian waterway from the Atlantic Ocean to the Lakehead. Many of these original canals were replaced or dramatically altered during the construction of the modern St. Lawrence Seaway
• it is the first lock in the world to be operated by electricity
• the Powerhouse which contained the electrical equipment is largely intact
• the Emergency Swing Bridge Dam used to protect the lock in the event of an accident retains much of its original built form
Le canal de Sault Ste. Marie est d'importance historique nationale parce que:
• lors de son ouverture en 1895, il constituait l'un des huit principaux canaux le long du système des Grands-Lacs et du Saint-Laurent et formait le dernier maillon d'une voie navigable entièrement canadienne de l'océan Atlantique à la tête des Grands-Lacs. Plusieurs de ces canaux ont été remplacés ou modifiés considérablement lors de la construction de la Voie maritime du Saint-Laurent
• c'était la première écluse au monde à fonctionner à l'électricité
• la Centrale électrique, qui contenait la machinerie électrique, est en grande partie intacte
• le Barrage tournant de secours utilisé pour protéger l'écluse dans l'éventualité d'un accident conserve une grande partie de ses éléments d'origine
Topics.
this page online
Location. 46° 30.78′ N, 84° 21.021′ 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 Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance
June 11, 2024
2. Marker detail: Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site Map
Also see . . . Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site of Canada (Parks Canada).
Excerpt: Sault Ste. Marie Canal was designated a national historic site of Canada, in 1987. It is designated because: it is part of Canada’s national canal system, the Powerhouse, the Powerhouse machinery and the Emergency(Submitted on May 17, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)Swing Dam are resources of national historic and architectural significance. The heritage value of the Sault Ste. Marie Canal lies in the legibility and completeness of the man-made waterway including its engineering works, associated buildings and designed landscape features. The Powerhouse for the canal was built in 1894 during the initial phase of construction, and the canal’s Emergency Swing Dam was built by Dominion Bridge Co. in 1895. Administration of the Sault Ste. Marie Canal was transferred to the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority (1959-1979), then to Parks Canada to continue canal operation as a recreational facility.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 11, 20243. A National Historic Site at the Sault / Un lieu historique national au Sault MarkerLooking south across the canal; the south side of St. Marys Island is in the background.
Aspects of this site which contribute to its heritage values include: the legibility of the canal corridor; the integrity of the canal path; the functional inter-relationship and orientation of facilities in the canal corridor; the engineering works, buildings and designed landscape features, particularly their massing, form, technologies and construction materials, and spatial relationships to one another; the rectangular massing of the Powerhouse under a hipped roof, its classical definition and form, the integrityof its red sandstone material and limestone details, the functional spaces of the interior of the building, the surviving equipment and engineering works associated with hydro-electric generation, canal operations and maintenance, its location at the north-east corner of the lock, its siting built into a slope at the end of the lock; the Emergency Swing Dam in its location, original form, fabric and functional design; viewplanes from the canal bed to Lake Superior, from the main shipping channel to Lake Huron, and the industrial facilities along the canal banks.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 11, 20244. Sault Ste. Marie Canal (looking east from near marker)The Canalmens' Shelter and Powerhouse are partially visible in the upper left background.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, June 11, 2024
5. Sault Ste. Marie Canal (looking west from near marker)
The Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge, railroad bridge, and Emergency Swing Bridge (in standby position - on the right) are visible in the background.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 11, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 14, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 149 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on May 17, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
