Museum Ship Valley Camp

The Museum Ship Valley Camp is an unusual blend of a Great Lakes maritime museum inside a 1917 steam-powered Great Lakes freighter, 550 feet long. Its large cargo holds now contain historical exhibits, a video theater, ship models, aquariums of fish from the upper Great Lakes and nearly inland lakes, and much more. Exhibits have been redesigned starting in 2006, with more information on improved signage. The walls are lighter and brighter.

In one cavernous space the Edmund Fitzgerald display and the one-hour video "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" effectively capture the eeriness with which that huge freighter disappeared suddenly from the view of a trailing freighter in that famous November storm in 1975. After Coast Guard searches and dives by the Whitefish Point Shipwreck Museum, it's still not clear whether the ship split in two by hitting bottom or on the surface, and whether the tragedy was caused by not closing all the hatches. Many visitors come just to see the Fitzgerald's two torn lifeboats, among the very few remnants of the wreck to surface.

The Valley Camp's superstructure lets visitors see how the crew lived on a bulk cargo carrier typical of those on the lakes between 1917 and the 1970s. The Valley Camp, under the ownership of Republic Steel, carried her last cargo, taconite pellets, from Minnesota's Mesabi Range to the lower lakes in 1966 before becoming a museum.

Especially interesting is its pilothouse, with one of the lakes' first radar systems. Visitors can look in at the captain's quarters, the quarters of the other officers and crew, and the mess hall and galley. Until you walk the deck, it's hard to understand just how long 550 feet is. Even harder to take in is the increased carrying capacity of the thousand-footers that now set the standard for Great Lakes vessels - four times as much as the alley Camp.

One exhibit relates to the career of the late "Skipper" Manzutti, an independent ship builder, owner, captain, and maritime surveyor who was well known and well loved in the port of Sault Ste. Marie.

Tip: this place is so big, it's helps to look at the overview diagram of the museum, in order to pick out what's likely to interest you most. Ask for a map, or consult the wall maps. This is a great place to visit on a rainy day.

5 blocks east of the Soo Locks on East Portage Ave. a bit west of the Edison Sault Power Plant. Parking is just west of Soo Locks Boat Tours' #2 Dock. Open daily mid-May thru mid-Oct. In summer 9-6. In May, June, Sept. & Oct. 10-5. (906) 632-3658. Adults $11, kids 6 thru 17,$5.50. Combo tickets with Tower of History: $16/adult, $7.75/child. Wheelchair-accessible: partly. Museum and balcony in hold is accessible. So is main deck (via a ramp) but not bridge or crew quarters
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Return to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan

SAULT STE. MARIE, MICHIGAN
POINTS OF INTEREST

Soo Locks Park & Visitor Center. This is the place to get really close-up views of giant freighters, plus see some interesting exhibits ... more

Portage Avenue shops and beyond. Shops of note in the central part of town ... more

Soo Brewing Company. Serious ale brewer will fill you growler for $8 ... more

Soo Locks Boat Tour. This 2-hour excursion provides a dramatic look at the big locks, the quaint Canadian locks, and the Twin Soo's waterfronts. ... more

River of History Museum. Life-size dioramas bring to life scenes from Sault Ste. Marie's long history and prehistory. ... more

Riverfront walk along Water Street and Brady Park. See upbound boats waiting at the locks at beautiful Brady Park, site of the 19th c. fort. See interesting historic monuments from Sault Ste. Marie's aspiring years, including idiosyncratic Chase Osborn, the only U.P. governor. ... more

Bingham Avenue historic buildings. An avenue of grand 19th-century buildings, from a time when locals saw a grander future for the city than actually unfolded ... more

Tower of History. An oustanding view of the area from a 21-story tower. ... more

St. Mary's Pro-cathedral. This 1880s cathedral has a wonderful interior, with richly colored stained glass and striking wall accents ... more

Water Street Historic Block. Three of the earliest and most significant houses in Upper Peninsula history ... more

George Kemp Downtown Marina . A nice picnic area at a beautiful marina ... more

Museum Ship Valley Camp . A 1917 Great Lakes steamship is the vehicle for an interesting maritime museum ... more

St. Mary's River Lighthouse Cruise. A 4-hour journey past landmarks like the lighthouse at the entrance to the St. Marys River ... more

Edison Sault Power Plant & Alford Park. This 1902 quarter-mile-long landmark never attracted the industries it was built to serve, but still generates electricity ... more

Mission Point, Aune Osborn Park & Sugar Island Ferry. It's been called the #1 place anywhere to see Great Lakes freighters in motion ... more

Sugar Island. Once a favorite Chippewa sugaring spot, the island still has many maples and still is a popular stop for migrating birds ... more

New Fort Brady/Lake Superior State University. Begun in 1893 as an Army fort and barracks for 20,000 troops, this overlook now is the site of 3,300-student Lake Superior State University ... more

International Bridge. Connecting the 5,000-mile Trans-Canada Highway with 2,000-mile I-75 to Florida, this 1962 bridge does much more than connect the two Soos ... more

Sault Ste. Marie Wi-fi Hotspots. Bayliss Public Library has public computers. 541 Library Drive. Take last US exit on I-75, turn right on Easterday, turn left at traffic light onto Ashland St. to Library Drive. • Lake Superior State University campus is a wi-fi hotspot. 650 W. Easterday. ... more

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