Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan

49783

Photos courtesy of:
Jeremy Christian

Located in the northeasterly portion of Chippewa county you will find Sault Sainte Marie. Overlooking the St. Mary’s River and the largest fresh water locks in the world, Sault Sainte Marie offers tourists an unlimited number of pleasurable sight seeing opportunities. Fort Brady and Officers Row, historical buildings used by American soldiers during World War I & II, are now part of Lake Superior State University. Just across the International Bridge visitors will find Sault Sainte Marie, Canada. Both cities offer year round attractions for all who venture north.

Sault Sainte Marie received its name in 1641 by French Jesuits, Isaac Jogues and Charles Raymbault, from its being on the heights overlooking the rapids(in French, sault) and in honor of the Virgin Mary. In 1668 Jacques Marquette built a mission here, making Sault Sainte Marie the location of the first European settlement in what is now considered Michigan.

Governor Lewis Cass first raised the Stars and Strips in 1820 over what then was called Le Sault de Sainte Marie. The name was shortened in 1823 by Henry B. Griswold, Sault Sainte Marie’s first postmaster. Incorporated as the village of St. Mary in 1849, the act was annulled in 1851. In 1879 the village was re-incorporated as Sault Ste. Marie, and then as a city in 1887.

Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan

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Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan

49783

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