Our Community
Soo Community
Settled in 1668, Sault Ste Marie (pronounced Soo Saint Marie) is the oldest city in the state of Michigan and the second most populous in the Upper Peninsula! Resting along both shores of the St. Mary’s River, it is at the intersection of the Great Lakes Superior and Huron. For centuries prior to official settlement, indigenous inhabitants of the region along with European trappers and woodsmen, took full advantage of its abundance of fish and game. Because of its natural intersection, fur trade flourished under both French and later British rule. After the war of 1812, what would become Sault Ste Marie, Michigan and Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, was officially split into two separate cities with the boundary along the St. Mary’s River. The 2.6 mile long International Bridge, completed in 1962, now connects Soo Michigan (Population 13,300) with Soo Canada (Population 72,000).
The Soo Locks are perhaps the most recognized feature in the city today. Because the water level in Lake Superior quickly drops 21 feet before entering Lake Huron, shipping locks were built to allow vessels to be raised or lowered to the appropriate water level of the lake to which they are travelling. US Interstate 75 crosses the entire nation from north to south starting in Miami, Florida, and ending right here at the International Bridge in the Soo. Today, Sault Ste Marie holds the county seat in Michigan’s Chippewa County and is home to Lake Superior State University. The Soo Tribe of Chippewa Indians carries a long and storied history in the region and is headquartered on Ashmun Street right here in downtown Soo.