Sault Ste. Marie History

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan was home, for centuries, to the Native American Ojibwa (Chippewa) tribe, whom referred to the area as Baawitigong, which means "At the cascading rapids," referring to the rapids of the St. Marys River. The Saulteaux branch of the Ojibwa was named after this region.

Sault Ste, Marie, Michigan is the third oldest city west of the Appalachian Mountains in what is now the United States, and the oldest permanent settlement in contemporary Michigan. French missionaries Claude Dablon and Jacques Marquette founded a mission in this area in 1668.

The first European settler was a fur trader who arrived in 1790 by the name of John Johnston, a Scots-Irish immigrant from Belfast, Ireland. He married the daughter of a prominent chief, a high-ranking Ojibwa woman named Ozhaguscodaywayquay, also called Susan Johnston. Their marriage created an alliance with the Ojibwa.

The falls proved trouble for shipping in the area. Early Lake Superior ships had to portage around the rapids in a lengthy process that could take weeks. Eventually, only cargo was unloaded, hauled around the rapids, then loaded onto other ships waiting below the rapids. In 1855, the first American lock, the State Lock, was built and proved to be instrumental in improving shipping. Over the years, the lock was expanded and improved.

If you have new or updated information about Sault Ste. Marie history, please contact us.