The passage of the steamer Illinois through the locks at Sault Ste. Marie marks the opening of unobstructed shipping between Lakes Superior and Huron. Ships are no longer forced to stop at Sault Ste. Marie and portage their cargoes around the rapids of the St. Mary's River, which drops twelve feet from Lake Superior to Lake Huron. The canal is the result of a long-sought 1852 grant by Congress to Michigan of 750,000 acres of public land. Construction, begun in mid-1853, has progressed despite cost overruns, food shortages, a hostile climate and a cholera epidemic. The mile-long canal and two 350-foot locks arranged in tandem have been completed in two years. The Sault locks provide new impetus to Michigan's fledgling mining industry. Copper mining on the Keweenaw Peninsula began in the early 1840s, and Michigan led the nation in copper production for many years. In 1844 surveyor William A. Burt discovered iron ore deposits near Negaunee. Iron ore mining expanded gradually, but by the late nineteenth century Michigan produced more iron ore than any other state. Michigan also produced significant amounts of salt, gypsum, oil and natural gas.

Michigan Historical Center, Department of History, Arts and Libraries
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