Sault Ste. Marie

The history of Sault Ste. Marie largely stems from its location on the banks of the St. Mary's River and its rapids. The river was a natural east-west conduit from Lake Huron to Lake Superior and westward, but the rapids seriously impeded the flow of water traffic. As a result, Sault Ste. Marie has always been a natural meeting place. Long before Étienne Brûlé "discovered" the rapids in 1622, Ojibwa tribes gathered here. Whitefish, their staple food, could easily be caught year-round, and in winter the rapids were often the only sources of open water for miles. When Father Jacques Marquette opened a mission in 1668, he named it Sainte Marie de Sault. Sault is French for "rapids." Today locals call the city simply "the Sault," pronounced "the Soo."