By Sault Tourism
The Sault Ste. Marie Museum, located in the heart of downtown, houses a fascinating collection of historical exhibits that helps visitors learn about the history of the city all the way back to its earliest days. Check out the Edmund Fitzgerald display in the Marine Gallery, which includes a replica scale model of the famous ship. View historic photographs to see what our waterfront and downtown used to look like, and enjoy some of local sport history including the Soo Greyhounds!
The Sault Ste. Marie Museum though is not just a space curated to tell the history of the local area, it also hosts many fun and unique events, publishes a weekly podcast series, contains a gift shop, and has a new interactive feature utilizing QR codes, which adds video and audio information to many of the displays. Come for a visit when you are in the Soo!
The Sault Ste. Marie Museum is a heritage building constructed originally as a post office between 1904-1906 after the city received $20,000 in funding from the Dominion Government. Like many buildings in Sault Ste. Marie it used sandstone excavated during the construction of the canal, with the iconic clock tower being added in 1912. At this point the Museum, then the Post Office was the largest and grandest building in the City and became a local landmark, being the first sight of the city for approaching travelers.
Today visitors can enjoy the typically Ontarian eclectic architecture combining several styles including uniquely cut stone walls, Romanesque arched windows, magnificent oak stair case and an exquisite three-storey skylight, and the 110 year old clock tower remains an iconic landmark of downtown Sault Ste. Marie.
The Skylight Gallery, on the second floor, is a walkthrough history and the story of Sault Ste. Marie from its early beginnings to the present day. Displays feature artifacts and information on the first people in the area with a full sized Wigwam and early canoe offering fascinating insight into historic life. Other displays feature information on the local fur trade, mining and the lumber trade, which as the displays tells, in 1810 became the main export from Canada.
Moving into the twentieth century the museum has exhibits on healthcare including nursing as well as policing and fire management. Additional information including archived video and audio is available via a series of QR codes, including the one below, which adds an interactive component to any visit of the Sault Museum.
The Discovery Gallery is a fun and interactive, hands-on learning children’s area. It contains artifacts and features nature species, photographs as well as a dress-up area. This space is also used to host workshops, activities and events, more of which is mentioned later in this article.
On the third floor is the Music Gallery, which showcases Sault Ste. Marie musicians and venues through the ages. Bands and musical groups originated at the turn of last century during the days of silent movies, and Sault Ste. Marie had its fair share of entertainers. Sounds from these bands would commonly be heard emerging from the Algoma Theatre, Grand Opera House and the St. Marys River Boat Club. During the 1950s and 1960s when smaller Rock & Roll bands became fashionable, musical acts would perform in local Sault Ste. Marie bars including the Victoria House, The Royal, Lock City Hotel and more.
The Music Gallery houses a collection memorabilia, artifacts and videos from these eras and also contains ‘The Sault Music Project’, a giant binder of past and present Soo musicians!
The Marine Gallery offers a pictorial display of early Great Lakes cruise ships, a brief history of the Locks and scale models of two of the more storied Great Lakes ships, the Edmund Fitzgerald and the Chicora.
The Chicora was a British blockade-runner for the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. Her role was primarily to transport guns and ammunition from Bermuda to Charleston. After the war, the ship was transformed into an overnight passenger and freight vessel, and carried mail and passengers from Collingwood to Sault Ste. Marie. In 1870, the Chicora was again involved in a dispute with America when she was refused entry to the American locks and was forced to unload its army destined for the Red River Rebellion. This particular incident, as well as a general tension between the two countries, spurred the building of a Canadian canal in Sault Ste. Marie.
The Edmund Fitzgerald is perhaps the most famous ship to be associated with the Great Lakes, having sunk in a November storm in 1975 killing the entire crew of twenty-nine. A scale model, as well as information about the ship’s fateful timeline, can be viewed in the Marine Gallery of The Sault Museum.
The Sports Hall of Fame gallery depicts local athleticism from the 1800s forward and features artifacts and photos showcasing the wide variety of sports that represent our city. Check out the Eliason Motor Toboggan, and a special commemorative display for the 1948 NOHA champions, the Soo Greyhounds!
A video presentation highlights various sports and the people involved. The gallery is dedicated to Russell H. Ramsay, local sportscaster, president & general manager of Hyland Radio & TV. He served as an Alderman on city council and served as the MPP for Sault Ste. Marie 1978-1985.
This gallery, on the first floor, is dedicated to Lt. Col. Walter Wallace, past commanding officer of the 49th Field Regiment RCA, past president of Royal Canadian Legion – Branch 25 – and past president of the Sault Ste. Marie & 49th Field Regiment RCA Historical Society. Walter was a big advocate for museum later serving as president of the board of directors. He helped oversee the move of the historical Society’s collection to the museum in 1983.
The museum’s wartime collection includes a selection of diaries from 1914 to 1918, military medals and badges, trench art, photographs, and uniforms among other items.
COMMEMORATIVE OLYMPIC METAL DATE: 1928
This bronze gold metal was awarded to Sault Ste. Marie local Olympian Boxer Ray Smillie in the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The bronze disc has an image of a seated female figure; with the words stamped; “IX Olympiad Amsterdam, 1928”.
SURVEYOR’S STAKE DATE: 1846
The stake was used by local surveyor Alexander Vidal. The large square wooden post, pointed at both ends of the stake, features carved lettering on all four sides to depict the direction from the stake in which each divided land plot would begin. It was used to dictate plots and streets based on Vidal’s surveying.
COMMEMORATIVE KEYS DATE: OCTOBER 28, 1954 & NOVEMBER 7, 1963
These two commemorative keys were presented to the Grey Sisters of the Immaculate Conception during two significant ceremonies in Sault Ste. Marie. The keys celebrated the grand opening of the General Hospital’s addition of the New Pavilion’s B Wing in 1954 and the Pavilion’s A and Y wing in 1963.
Located inside is also a great gift shop, the Clock Tower Gift Shop, which contains unique books about the area, local art works, craft works by local consigners and various locally made gifts and goodies!
Every Thursday, the Sault Museum publishes a podcast under the series titled ‘Stories of Northern Life’. This unique and fascinating series covers local history, tells important local stories, and from time to time has a Q&A with Museum experts and staff, where often-wondered questions like ‘Is the museum haunted?’ are discussed.
The Sault Ste. Marie Museum runs many unique and fun events and activities each week. Whether it’s a Prohibition Event with beer tasting and trivia, Murder Mystery nights, Scottish Highland dancing or one of the various paint nights including ‘Bad Art Club’ and ‘Star Wars Paint Night’. All the information about the various events can be found here!
For more information about this wonderful collection of local history, visit the Sault Ste. Marie Museum’s website.
And did you know that you can pick up a 4-Culture Attraction Pass on the Sault Tourism website? This Pass will give you 10% off admission to the Sault Ste. Marie Museum as well as the Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre, the Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Site and the Art Gallery of Algoma. Click here and scroll down the page to learn more. Plan your cultural visit in Sault Ste. Marie today!
By Sault Tourism
Lake Superior Provincial Park Visitor Centre is located at the south end of ‘the Park’, as locals call it, roughly halfway between Sault Ste. Marie and Wawa, and just above the Montreal River. The drive up the coast from Sault Ste. Marie makes for a perfect daytrip, with several worthy stopping points along the way. More about this is available at the bottom of this article.
The park is known for its 150 km of maintained canoe routes, 11 hiking trails of over 130 km, fishing for Lake Trout, Rainbow Trout, Salmon, and backcountry camping. There are 163 backcountry campsites in Lake Superior Provincial Park which are divided into 76 zones. You can get all the information on it by visiting the website here.
The visitor centre is a great stopping point, with lots of information about the area, helpful staff and a fascinating recount of the history of Lake Superior.
As you enter the visitor centre you are greeted by a beautiful high-ceilinged room with an information desk, map of the area, notice board of daily information and bathrooms.
A short walk takes you a room filled with interactive displays that highlights the “Power of Lake Superior” as well as the park’s cultural history and natural ecosystems. You’ll also find a display about the Group of Seven, a replica lighthouse, plus there are large number of buttons and knobs for kids to press – perfect for a raining day activity for the little ones 🙂
The visitor centre is located on Agawa Bay beach, and there are some beautiful trails that lead to the water and the surrounding area. Located close to the entrance you’ll also find a Group of Seven easel, just one of many on the ‘Moments of Algoma’ Group of Seven Driving Tour.
Just behind the information desk there is a gift shop with lots of interesting souvenirs and apparel, and all Lake Superior themed of course.
A short drive north takes you to the Agawa Rock Pictographs. A clearly marked sign on the highway directs visitors to a parking area at the trail head – map coordinates here.
The trail to the site of the Pictographs is short but rugged; it contains slippery steps and rocks to climb over and around – so take care!
The Agawa Rock Pictographs is one of the most famous pictograph sites in Canada and is one of the most visited indigenous archaeological sites too. It is a sacred site where generations of Ojibwe have come to record dreams, visions and events. Please respect and preserve the pictographs by not touching the paintings.
The images visible today, include canoes and animals such as moose, deer, bear and caribou. The most recognizable painting consisting of a spined-horned animal said to be “Misshepezhieu”, or the Great Lynx, the spirit of the water. Read more about this important area here.
The Visitor Centre in the Provincial Park is just one stop of many on the beautiful Lake Superior coastal drive.
Heading south you may wish to make your next stop the Edmund Fitzgerald Lookout Trail in Pancake Bay Provincial Park. A beautiful view across a luscious maple forest all the way to the Superior coast reward those who hike the 6 km round trip. You may also see the final resting place of the Edmund Fitzgerald ship.
Beautiful souvenirs and ice-cream treats are available at Agawa Crafts and the Canadian Carver further south and The Voyageur Lodge also has some great souvenirs and food options. Chippewa Falls, the famed halfway point on the trans-Canada highway is a great spot for a break. The falls are right beside parking lot, just off the highway. Check out another Group of Seven art easel while you are there.
By Sault Tourism
The Edmund Fitzgerald lookout trail, in Pancake Bay Provincial Park, is the perfect day trip activity from Sault Ste. Marie.
Just an hour north of the city, it’s one of best lookout hikes in all of Ontario. A beautiful woodland walk through towering maple trees leads you to spectacular views of Lake Superior, as far out as the resting position of the Edmund Fitzgerald ship.
The lookout trail is located just a few minutes north of Pancake Bay Provincial Park along highway 17. There is ample parking located about a hundred metres off the highway. Click here for a Google Maps link to directions.
The trail, parking and trailhead are all within the park, so day-use fee applies. You can get your daily vehicle permits in advance online here – both Pancake Bay and Batchewana Bay are both currently offering the advance daily permit online. And of course by buying a day pass you can have a swim at the beach after your hike!
A clearly marked trail-head sign with route information and a map marks the start of the trail. The hike to the lookout and back is around 6km and takes 2-3 hours. Longer side routes are available taking you to Pancake Falls or Tower Lakes.
The route to the lookout is a mix of flat hiking through forests, with some occasional up hill sections. All trails are well maintained by Parks Ontario crew!
The trails are clearly marked with blue signs, and there are maps at each trail intersection. The trails is described a ‘moderate’ difficulty because there may be some scrambling over rocks or small branches.
The most strenuous part of the trail is the climb up the wooden stairs to the lookout itself…
TOP TIP – Spend a few minutes reading the information sign in the middle of the climb as a way to gather your breath before the final ascent.
There are a couple of lookouts before you reach the actual top… and when you reach the top the views are simply stunning.
It won’t take long before you’re back at your car, and a beautiful drive south back to Sault Ste. Marie awaits. Why not stop for an ice cream at Agawa Crafts and the Canadian Carver? They also have some fantastic souvenirs. The Voyageur Lodge also has some great souvenirs and food options. Chippewa Falls is a great spot for a break and the falls are right beside parking lot just off the highway. Check out the Group of Seven art easel while you are there.
Or maybe you’ll spend the drive planning your return trip in a different season…
Picture this view in the fall… 🙂
