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The
Sault Locks are the world's busiest!
The Soo Locks are, by far, the
largest in the United States, able to contain huge, one thousand
foot long, Great Lakes and ocean-going frieghters. Watching
these massive vessels pass through the locks is an exciting
experience that cannot be had anywhere else. The gigantic
ships are lowered or raised twenty-one feet between the upper
and lower levels of the St. Mary's River.
The Poe and the MacArthur Locks are those currently being used
on the American side. The Poe Lock is the largest at 1,200' long,
110' wide, and 32' deep, and is the lock that the biggest of the
freighters must use. The MacArthur Lock is smaller, by comparison,
but still substantial at 800' long, 80' wide, and 31' deep. These
lock are the busiest in the world, with approximately five thousand
vessels passing through yearly.
There are also two locks not being used at this time, as they
are too shallow at only 23' deep. These are the Davis Lock and
the Sabin Lock, built in 1918 and 1919 respectively. A new, larger
lock is being designed that will be built using the space now
occupied by these older locks, but funding for this endeavor
is still being raised. The Soo Locks are operated by the U.S.
Army, Corps of Engineers.
The Canadian Locks are no longer used for commercial shipping,
but are still operated as a national historic site. |
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Locks
History:
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| Sault
Ste. Marie was established in 1641 by early French
fur traders and was the first
European settlement to be made in, what is now known
as "Michigan". Known to them as "Sault
du Gastogne", it was changed in 1688 by the Jesuit
missionary Jacques Marquette to "Sault Ste Marie",
in honor of the Virgin Mary. There is debate about
what the name translates to, but French speakers say "Sault" means, "to
jump", making Sault Ste. Marie the place where
people would come to "jump the St. Mary's".
Originally called "Le Sault de Sainte Marie",
it was later shortened to its current name. |
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Michigan's
Oldest...
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| Sault
Ste Marie is Michigan's oldest city. It is also the
third oldest continuous settlement in the United
States. It is located on the St. Mary's River which
is now home to the Soo Locks, the busiest in the
world.
The Soo Locks enable passage for ships of up to 1000
feet in length and 105 in width, transporting cargo,
(much of it iron ore, from mines in Wisconsin), between
Lake Superior and Lake Ontario and on to the other
Great Lakes.
The St. Mary's River is the only water connection
between Lake Superior and the other Great Lakes. However,
there is a section of the river known as the St. Mary's
Rapids where the water falls about 21 feet from the
level of Lake Superior to the level of the lower lakes.
This natural barrier made it necessary for the construction
of the Sault Locks.
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More
History: Long ago the Ojibwa
(Chippewa) Indians, who lived in the area, would carry their
canoes around the rapids to reach Lake Superior from the
St. Mary's River. As European pioneers arrived creating larger
settlements with increased trading the need for larger boats
grew. It became necessary to unload the boats, haul the cargo
around the rapids in wagons, and then reload alternate boats
on the other side. This process took valuable time. The need
to build a lock became apparent, thus the world-famous Soo
Locks were built to form a passage around the rapids in the
river.
The canal and locks were built to get larger ships past
the rapids, and were built on each side of the US/Canada
border. The Canadian locks are now a national historic
site, while the American locks still operate as part of
the St Lawrence Seaway. The locks permit deep draft ships
to travel around the St. Mary's Waterfall and manage the
21 foot difference in water levels.
The locks raise and lower the vessels easily because
the water will seek its own level as they open the gates.
The
locks move the water by gravity. As a boat "locks" in
from Lake Superior, the gates at each end of the locks
are closed and a valve is open to let the Lake Superior
water already in the lock flow out to the lower water level
of the St Mary's Canal and Lakes Huron and Michigan. When
the water has dropped to the lower level, the lock gate
at the south end is opened and the boat proceeds out of
the locks into the St Mary's Canal. The north gate remains
closed, holding back the waters of Lake Superior.
While the first locks on the St Mary's River were built
on the Canadian side in 1797, they were destroyed in the
War of 1812. A private American company built locks on
the U.S. Side of the river in 1853. These locks were turned
over to the State of Michigan in 1855 and were operated
as a toll-way. In 1881 the locks were transferred to the
U.S. government giving jurisdiction to the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers. Currently, the Corps operates the locks toll
free to any vessel wishing to pass through the St. Mary's
Fall Canal. Today there are 4 locks in use, continuously
being visited by ships and tourists alike.
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Facts:
More than 11,000 vessels, carrying up to 90 million tons of cargo pass through
these locks every year. Many different types of vessels lock through the system
varying in size from small passenger vessels and work boats, to large 1,000 foot
ships carrying more than 72,000 tons of freight in a single load. Most cargo
contained in these ships is iron ore, coal, grain, or stone.
The channels through the St. Mary's River are maintained at a maximum draft of
25.5 feet at low water datum. When lake levels are above low water averages larger
ships take advantage of the deeper water and load up to an additional 200 tons
of cargo per inch of additional draft.
The Poe Lock, the largest of the four locks, was rebuilt in 1968 to accommodate
1000 foot long, 105 feet wide, super-freighters. It took six years to build and
is the only lock ever rebuilt over an existing lock between two operating locks.
The Hydropower plan, just north of the locks, generates more than 150 million
kilowatt hours of electrical power each year to operate the locks. Whatever power
is not used at the locks is distributed to homes and businesses in Sault Ste.
Marie, Michigan and surrounding communities.
The lock system is periodically inspected for structural soundness usually during
the winter when lock operations close.
Sault Ste. Marie is an International City located on the Canada/US border at
the most westerly point on the St. Lawrence Seaway Lock System between Lake Superior
and Lake Huron. The Sault Locks are the world's busiest - carrying more tonnage
annually than the Panama and Suez Canals combined.
With 14,689 residents, Sault Ste. Marie is Michigan's largest city in the Eastern
Upper Peninsula and the peninsula's sole gateway to Canada. Many families are
descended from Chippewa as well as French, English, and Irish stock; French-Canadian
roots are common.
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