July 13, 2005

Some said it couldn't be built. Others said it shouldn't be built. They were wrong. On June 18, 1855, after two years of backbreaking effort, a canal and locks were completed around the rapids of the St. Mary's River at Sault Ste. Marie.

The July/August 2005 issue of Michigan History magazine pays tribute to the Soo Locks - an engineering marvel that this year celebrates 150 years of service to America and the world.

"In 1855, the first year the canal-lock system was in operation, over 106,000 tons of freight was transported between Lakes Superior and Huron," said author and Soo-area resident Dr. Richard Shaul. "In 2004, nearly 82 million tons of cargo went through the locks on 6,500 freighters. The canal-lock system has been of great importance not only to the economy of the United States, but to the rest of the world as well. For 150 years the locks have continued to meet the challenge of transportation on the Great Lakes, much to the credit of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District."

This issue also includes stories on Michigan's oldest family-run department store, blacksmithing on Mackinac Island, an Upper Peninsula community where strawberries are king and "twin towers" that once provided a spectacular view of Lenawee County's Irish Hills.

For more information or to order a subscription to Michigan History, call (800) 366-3703 or visit www.michiganhistorymagazine.com. In Sault Ste. Marie, copies can be obtained at Book World on Ashmun Street.

Michigan History is published by the Michigan Historical Center, an agency of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries. Dedicated to enriching quality of life and strengthening the economy by providing access to information, preserving and promoting Michigan heritage, and fostering cultural creativity, the department also includes the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, the Library of Michigan, the Michigan Film Office and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries.