Sault Sainte Marie Canals, Michigan (MI), United States

Facts & Statistics
Place Name	Sault Sainte Marie Canals
Pronunciation	SOO SAINT
Place Status (Type)	rapids
Location	Michigan, United States, North America
Latitude	unknown
Longitude	unknown

Sault Sainte Marie Canals (SOO SAINT), 2 ship canals bypassing the rapids on the St. Marys R. bet. L. Superior and L. Huron, at the cities of Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. and Ont. (Canada). The Can. canal (1.4 mi/2.3 km long and 60 ft/18 m wide), which has 1 lock, was opened in 1895. It follows the route of the 1st canal constructed around the rapids (1797-1798) by a fur company. The U.S. canal (1.6 mi/2.6 km long and 80 ft/24 m wide) was constructed (1853-1855) by the state of Mich. and has since been reconstructed by the Federal govt. to accommodate larger vessels; it has 4 locks. Although closed by ice during the winter, the toll-free canals are among the country's busiest and are a vital link in the Great Lakes Waterway. Most of the ships pass through the larger and deeper U.S. canal. The waterways are popularly called the Soo Canals.