st. marys rapids sunset
The St. Marys Rapids are part of the 120 kilometer / 75 mile St. Marys River which drains Lake Superior into the lower Great Lakes; water falls 7 meters / 23 feet over the course of the rapids. The St. Marys River divides Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario from Sault Ste. Marie Michigan.
For over two thousand years, the Anishnabek people of the Great Lakes have gathered at Whitefish Island to fish the rapids, trade, and meet- - -they named this place Baawitigong (Bawating) which translates to “by the rapids”. In 1623, the French explorer Etienne Brule named the rapids “Sault de Gaston” in honour of a French nobleman. In 1668, French Jesuit missionaries, who settled in the area, renamed the rapids “Sault de Sainte-Marie”- - -which translates to Rapids of Saint Mary. Subsequent settlement, industrial / hydroelectric development, and navigation (American Soo Locks / Canadian Lock) have diverted water from the rapids and reduced it’s power and grandeur.
The 1962 Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge is a 2.8 mile / 4.5 kilometer long metal Cantilever (suspended deck) Warren Through Truss bridge with a two span arch over the American Soo Locks and a single span arch over the Canadian Sault canal.
st. marys rapids sunset
The St. Marys Rapids are part of the 120 kilometer / 75 mile St. Marys River which drains Lake Superior into the lower Great Lakes; water falls 7 meters / 23 feet over the course of the rapids. The St. Marys River divides Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario from Sault Ste. Marie Michigan.
For over two thousand years, the Anishnabek people of the Great Lakes have gathered at Whitefish Island to fish the rapids, trade, and meet- - -they named this place Baawitigong (Bawating) which translates to “by the rapids”. In 1623, the French explorer Etienne Brule named the rapids “Sault de Gaston” in honour of a French nobleman. In 1668, French Jesuit missionaries, who settled in the area, renamed the rapids “Sault de Sainte-Marie”- - -which translates to Rapids of Saint Mary. Subsequent settlement, industrial / hydroelectric development, and navigation (American Soo Locks / Canadian Lock) have diverted water from the rapids and reduced it’s power and grandeur.
The 1962 Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge is a 2.8 mile / 4.5 kilometer long metal Cantilever (suspended deck) Warren Through Truss bridge with a two span arch over the American Soo Locks and a single span arch over the Canadian Sault canal.