The Sault Canal
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Le canal du Sault

[English] , A Vital Link in the All Canadian Waterway , The St. Marys Rapids, with its abundant supply of fish, attracted First Nations to the region some 2,000 years ago. The rapids however were an obstacle to fur traders. The North West Company moved to the north shore in 1796 and two years later built a small wooden lock. The lock was destroyed during the War of 18 12. A new canal, built on the south shore by the State of Michigan, opened in 1855 improving navigation for both countries. When canal officials refused passage to the Chicora, a steamer carrying troops west in 1870 to establish a military presence in the new province of Manitoba, the Canadian Government decided to build a lock on its side of the rapids. , Opened in 1895, the Sault Ste. Marie Ship Canal was the largest lock in the world and the first to be operated by hydroelectric power. It played an important role in Canada's westward expansion, moving wheat, ore and lumber east and new settlers west. A lock failure in 1987 and the designation of the canal as a national historic site that same year, prompted a reevaluation of canal operations. , In 1995 the federal, provincial and municipal governments signed an agreement to build a new recreational lock within the historic lock. Construction commenced in 1996 and was completed for an official opening in July 1998. The new lock combines original canal technology from the 1890s with contemporary design to produce a unique lock operation. ,