The Canadian border city of Sault Ste Marie, principal town of Algoma County, is situated on the delightful St Mary's River which joins Lake Superior to Lake Huron.
Long before the arrival of Europeans the significance of this particular location was appreciated by the native Indians for whom it was a place to meet and trade
As early as the first half of the 17th c. French "voyageurs", fur traders and timber raftsmen had already formed close links with local tribes. In 1667 the Ste Marie Mission was founded by French Jesuit missionaries and in 1671 possession was taken of the land in the name of the French king, Louis XIV.
Increasing numbers of settlers, the majority British but also some French, came to Sault Ste Marie after 1797/98 when a canal was dug to by-pass the rapids. In 1861 the town became a free port, and 26 years later was granted civic status. A second canal built on the Canadian side in 1895 and a rail-link to the Canadian Pacific Railway further quickened the pace of settlement. In 1899 the (iron and steel producing) Algoma Steel Company was established, to be followed in later years by numerous other industries (including timber processing, paper and chemicals). The city is also well known for its long established and highly regarded forestry and land research institute.
The waterway connecting Lakes Superior and Huron forms the frontier between the USA and Canada. Like Sault St Marie ("The Soo"), Ontario, to which it is joined by a bridge, Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, has a number of major industries (timber, leather and food processing, ship building, rail repair shop, etc.).
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