Since we’d now seen the Canadian Sault Ste. Marie Canal and Lock, we were ready to give equal time to our team. On the U.S. side of those rapids, they/we have a set of locks called the Soo Locks. Locals call it, even shorter, The Soo.
Nothing like crossing back to the good ol’ United States! Hey, how about another open lane! Ha!
A few years ago, we really thought we would experience the Soo Locks aboard the SaltyMare. Oh well, no boat this time, but we were aboard the mighty Pearl (haha!) as she took us to the Visitor Center. 😉
After checking out the exhibits, we went to the Observation Platform to watch the real thing. As you could tell from the model, the Soo Locks are actually two locks that operate independently. The really BIG one is the Poe Lock, large enough to carry anything that can sail on the Great Lakes. The “small” one is the MacArthur Lock, the biggest lock we’ve ever seen. It’s neat that any boat goes in either lock if it can fit and they are ready for you. (The ‘Mare could have ended up going through with a freighter!) The Poe Lock is so big it even dwarfs the freighter that was locking through. It’s mostly their large pilot house that was visible as we tracked the freighter’s progress by watching its proximity to the U.S. flag.
Before closing the gates, they positioned and secured the waiting boats. At this time, there were just three – two in the MacArthur Lock and the freighter in the Poe Lock. Notice there’s plenty of room. The tour boat in the photos is 65″ long and 25′ wide, not that much bigger than the SaltyMare!
The Soo Locks still work much as they did 200 years ago. By opening and closing valves, gravity is utilized to move more than 22 million gallons of water through the floor of the lock. The floor! Yep, that’s how boats are raised or lowered approximately 21 feet in order to transit the St. Mary’s River. Operating 24 hours a day seven days a week, crews complete more than 7,000 lockages during the 42-week navigation season, allowing vessels of all sizes to quickly navigate between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. Could have sat there all day watching but on we go!
In keeping with the nautical-centered day, our next stop was the Museum Ship Valley Camp, touted as the largest Great Lakes maritime museum.
It is indeed a really L-A-R-G-E and unique museum, inside an actual freighter built in 1917. During her years of service, she changed hands a few times and was eventually renamed VALLEY CAMP in honor of the Valley Camp Coal Company. From 1917 until her final voyage in 1966, the 11,500-ton ship logged some 3 million miles and carried in excess of 16 million tons of cargo.
Arriving at Sault Ste. Marie in 1968, her massive cargo hold now houses a 20,000 square foot museum with more than 100 exhibits. As you can imagine, we were aboard for hours! The interior went from light to dark, and so did our pictures.
After checking out the inside exhibits, we wandered topside, taking a peek at the pilothouse and various crew quarters, while we thought about being out on the mighty lakes. Of course, in our imaginations, it was a lovely day to be cruising!
(the crew had to eat in shifts)
To cap off the holiday, our beautiful flag was blowing in the breeze at the Soo Locks while the freighter was passing by!
Happy Independence Day, America!
Our Travels 