The “Soo
Locks” in Sault Ste. Marie were fascinating. The St Marys River is the only
water connection between Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes, The difference in the water
level between Lake Superior and the connecting Lake Huron is approximately 21
ft. The first lock was built on the
Canadian side of the St Marys River in the late 1700’s but destroyed in the War
of 1812. An American company built locks
in 1853 and in 1881 the US Army Corps of Engineers was given jurisdiction of
the locks. Today, the locks move than 11,000 vessels (small passenger vessels
to 1000 foot freighters), carrying up to 90 million tons of cargo between Lake
Superior and Lake Huron each year.
A Canadian vessel passed through the locks just prior to our arrival.
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