The Power House, Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site

The lock was the first to operate using its own hydroelectricity. Water from the St. Marys River was diverted to the Powerhouse to produce the hydroelectricity that operated the lock, a world first in 1895.

The Powerhouse is an important building at the canal, representing significant technological achievements. It produced hydroelectric power to run the lock, which was a world first. The Powerhouse, shown on the right side of this photo, was built in a Romanesque style, constructed of red sandstone quarried from the canal during construction. It has decorative elements made of white limestone. The four bull’s-eye windows on the second floor were designed to mimic the porthole windows of ships.

In this photo, the lower lock gates to the left of the Powerhouse are closed. A woman is standing on the edge of the canal on the lower level, and four men are standing next to the lock gate on the upper level. The people are all dwarfed by the size of the canal infrastructure.