North West Company Canoe Lock, Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site

The North West Company built a canoe lock to bypass the rapids in 1798. When Europeans arrived, the rapids were seen as a barrier to transportation of goods, so they started modifying the river to benefit their enterprises. This portion of the fur trade lock was photographed in the early 1900s.

As they began to explore the rich fur lands of the Lake Superior area in the 17th century, European traders were hampered by the fierce rapids at Sault Ste. Marie. In 1797, the North West Company established a trading post on the north side of the rapids and in 1798 built a small lock. It was intended for the passage of large canoes and bateaux (flat-bottomed, shallow draft boats powered by sail or oars) and it facilitated the transfer of goods between the company's schooners on Lake Huron and Lake Superior. Destroyed in 1814 when the Americans attacked the company's nearby trading post during the War of 1812, the canal was not rebuilt for commercial use. Commercial use of the canoe lock is registered as a National Historic Event of Canada with the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

This photograph shows a portion of the canoe lock in Sault Ste. Marie, a few years after being rebuilt in stone by Francis H. Clergue in 1896. The stone-lined rectangular trench is partially filled with water, with a small gate at one end. The lock portion is set in a small grassy area with several stone buildings originally belonging to the historic pulp and paper mill in the background.