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Local: Sault Ste. Marie History - Early Industrialization

The completion of the American canal in 1855 opened a world of possibilities for the settlements on both sides of the St. Mary's River. In 1858 the Sault became part of the Judicial District of Algoma. The steamship Chicora tried bringing troops to the Red River uprising in 1870, but were denied passage by the Americans, prompting the construction of an all-Canadian water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the head of Lake Superior, which was finally completed in 1895. In 1887, the town was incorporated and a spur line was built connecting Sault Ste Marie with the main SPR line at Sudbury. The International Rail Bridge was constructed, connecting Canadian & US railway lines in this part of the continent and making the Sault accessible year-round, not just when river navigation was possible. In 1889, the first telephone and electricity was put in the following year.

American industrialist Frances Clergue arrived looking to invest in 1894. With his arrival he realized the river offered power generation for domestic as well as industrial consumption. He created or influenced new pulp and paper mills, hydro-electric plants, rail and marine transportation, mines and a steel plant, thereby increasing the physical size and population of the community. In 1902 the first steel made in Ontario was blown at the Sault Steel Plant. Frances Clerque would later be knighted.

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