We welcome
your comments
experiences &
corrections.

E-mail us

Hunts' Guide to Michigan's UPPER PENINSULA

Home

Search

U.P. Maps

Regions

Towns

Restaurants

Lodgings

Campgrounds

Points of Interest

Fun for kids

Waterfalls

Wayne Premo's Waterfalls

Beaches

Canoeing & Kayaking

Hikes

Lighthouses

Walks

Mountain Biking

Notable U.P. Shops

Specialty foods

Maritime

U.P. History

Useful Information

Links

About us

UP Travel Map

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

Soo Lock Train Tours. Great intro to Soo. Smart, funny 1-hour narrated tour of historic sites. From International Bridge, look down 135' on all 5 locks. ... 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. Compelling 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 geographical 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

Schoolcraft, Johnston and Baraga houses. 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, MICHIGAN

Tower of History

For an outstanding overview of the area, geographically and industrially, visit the weird but worthwhile Tower of History. This 21-story concrete towerwas built in a 1960s architectural style known as Brutalism, with strong forms of concrete. It was intended to be the bell tower for the monumental, never-built church planned by the parish priest to replace the existing church next door.

The best part is the amazing, 360-degree view from the tower's open-air deck down onto the locks, the town below, the St. Mary's River, the Canadian Sault riverfront, Lake Superior, and the foothills of the Laurentian Highlands beyond. It's one of those views where the real world looks like an aerial photo. Bring a windbreaker if it's at all chilly or windy, and binoculars for the best view.

Visitors can see a 20-minute video on the construction and idea behind the massive Edison Sault Power Plant just east of here. Visionary entrepreneur Francis Clergue came to the Sault from Maine with plans for harnessing waterpower from the St. Mary's River to turn the American Sault into a northern industrial power. Other exhibits, limited by the small size of each tower floor , deal with logging, Sault-area Indians, and Bishop Baraga.

The project was to commemorate missionaries' role in settling the Upper Peninsula. To pay for the church, he expected to use admission fees to a huge museum, "The Mission of Man," telling the story of Christianity with an emphasis on the Roman Catholic Church. The museum would incorporate the tower and an underground space, culminating with a dramatic entrance up into the new church.

In 1967, after the $660,000 tower was finished, the governing Catholic bishop said enough already to the grandiose parish building project. In 1980 it sold the tower to the Sault Historic Sites for $1. The 1880s St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral remains next door at 320 E. Portage, beautifully restored thanks to a portion of Tower admissions.

326 E. Portage, 3 blocks east (right) from Ashmun/Bus. I-75. (906) 632-3658. Open mid-May thru mid-Oct, 10-6 daily. Last tour at 5:30. Admission $5/ adult; $3 ages 6-16. The combo ticket with the Valley Camp is a better deal: $14/ adult, $7/child. Handicap access: 4 steps into the museum, 4 more to elevator to tower deck. Tight spaces in museum. Impossible for motorized chairs.

Return to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan