  The ease of traveling through the Locks or over the St. Mary’s Rapids is now taken for granted but the dreams of building these structures began over a hundred years ago, just after Michigan became a state in 1837. Canoes crossing the river Traveling from one side of the river to the other first began in canoes. Bands of Ojibwa Indians would camp and fish at the rapids they called “Bawating”, meaning rushing water. The rapids became a gathering point for as many as 50,000 Native Americans each summer, for centuries. In the 1600’s it became a settlement for French explorers and fur traders. Through wars control of the rapids went to the British in the mid 1700’s and finally, a shared border with the United States in the 1800’s. Building a lock As copper and iron ore were discovered in the western Upper Peninsula in 1830, ship traffic increased but had to be portaged over land at the rapids. This difficult task eventually led to construction of the first lock in 1855, and the second in 1871, a joint venture between the State of Michigan and the U.S. Government. In 1880, the first land transportation over the river between the U.S. and Canada was established with a railroad bridge. In 1895, the Canadian Lock was completed. In 1943 and 1969 two other U.S. locks were built, one of which is capable of carrying the 1000 ft. super freighters. From the 1880’s til the 1960’s the only forms of transportation across the St. Mary’s River, between the two Saults, were ferries and the railroad bridge. The inconvenience and delays of those days have been eliminated, thanks to the International Bridge. |
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