Rapidly Entertaining
White-water canoeists, seasoned rafters, and tourists alike have sampled the joys of "shooting the rapids" all over the United States. Sault St.e Marie's rapids have been a staple in the tourist industry for two centuries. The"Soo" is often referred to as "where it all began" or where Michigan was born. Flowing in from Lake Superior, the St. Mary’s River is the main artery of Sault Ste. Marie.
An Anishinaabe story depicts the creation of the rapids. As cited in Stanley Newton’s The Story of Sault Ste. Marie, the Anishinaabe recall that the rapids were at Nadowayaning, which is now called Nadoway Point, or "half a sun’s journey" from Sault Ste. Marie by canoe. Newton described the river as a strait with a powerful output of water. "Canoe voyages in this wild water labyrinth were exquisite," and the pleasing natural beuty made it all the more enjoyable. The geological explanation for the rapids and the Anishinaabe story overlap in that the creation of the rapids came from boulders that rolled down stream from Lake Superior to make "Bowating," or the rapids. These rapids are part of the oldest city in Michigan, and over the course of its history, many flags have flown; the waters themselves have long attracted Tribal communities for fishing near the foot of the rapids.
"Shooting the Rapids" became a popular activity in the early 20th century. The activity itself developed as a result of the fur trade and Native usage of the rapids to fish and trade. The most popular rapids for this activity within the Great Lakes Basin were the St. Mary's rapids in northern Michigan and the Saguenay River in Quebec. In Michigan, the St. Mary's Rapids were renowned for their surging waters.
Following the Chicago River and Harbor Convention of 1847, Thurlow Weed—then editor of the Albany Evening Journal—set sail on a steamer to Sault Ste. Marie. In his visit to the port town, Weed marvelled at the rapids, remarking: "In consequence of a painful occurrence in running the rapids, some three weeks since, when a boat was dashed against the rocks and three visitors drowned, we were told that the voyageurs would not take us over, and many, who promised themselves the excitement of running through these boiling waters, relinquished the enterprise. But in returning, our crew headed directly for the rapids, through which we passed pleasantly and safely, avoiding the rocks over which the water bubbled, on either side of us, by a dexterous and graceful use of the paddles. The distance is three-quarters of a mile, over which the current swept us in seven minutes. After this several other parties chartered canoes and came down in the same manner."
The St. Mary's Rapids in Michigan were a central hub in the Great Lakes network of waterways, moving between the upper Lake Superior and the lower lakes. Anishinaabe guides would lead early travellers across the treacherous rapids. Observing the light canoes and able pilots, tourists marvelled at the skills of the pilots traversing the rapid waters.
Anna Jameson in Winter Studies and Summer Rambles commented that, "I was watching with a mixture of admiration and terror several little canoes which were fishing in the midst of the boiling surge, dancing popping about like corks. The canoe used for fishing is very small and light; one man (or woman more commonly) sits in the stern, and steers with a paddle; the fisher places himself upright on the prow, balancing a long pole with both hands, at the end of which is a scoop net. This he every minute dips into the water, bringing up at each dip a fish, and sometimes two... The manner in which they keep their position upon a footing of a few inches, is to me as incomprehensible as the beauty of their forms and attitudes, swayed by every movement and tune of their dancing barks is admirable."
The experience of riding the turbulent waves of the St. Mary's River Rapids attracted tourists from every which way and was not easily forgotten. Jameson later went on to comment that "[t]errific as it appears, yet in a good canoe, and with experienced guides, there is no absolute danger, and it must be a glorious sensation."
Over the years, visitors and artists photographed and painted the scenes in the rapids. Frances Anne Hopkins, Arthur Heming, and Fredrick Arthur Vernor have depicted the activity in oil paintings.
In his 1887 description of Sault Ste. Marie, Chase S. Osborn described the Soo as "pre-eminent in having a hundred things to amuse and gratify. From the balconies of our large hotels the delighted visitor and old inhabitant, too—for of this the oldest inhabitant never tires—can watch the roaring, dashing, foaming rapids, more pleasurable to many than the rapids and falls of Niagara" and the Anishinaabe "in the foreground who, in ther light canoes dancing in the swift current, skillfully 'scoop' with their dip-nets the shining whitefish from its element." Osborn went on to say that the Anishinaabe pilots were "servicable" in contributing to a well-known sport known as "shooting the rapids" which had an exhilirating effect not to be matched. One Chicago man had remarked, "I wouldn't have missed that for a hundred dollars" but would not dare go again for a thousand. Repeating Anna Jameson's assertions, Osborn commented that the skill of the pilots having spent their entire lives on the rapids meant that "not one accident is recorded."
Railroad and resort brochures often advertised the activity as not to be missed. Mackinac the Wonderful Isle described the rapids in terms of the locks. The booklet described the rapids as "something of a terror to the inexperienced visitor" but "to shoot them in an Indian canoe furnishes an experience never to be forgotten."
In his History of the Great Lakes, John Mansfield describes the canoes used for the activity. Citing the birchbark canoes' "marvellous lightness and other qualities," he describes stories of canoes capable of carrying 50 men and two tons of weight. The Anishinaabe peoples of the lakes perfected canoe-building to make their constant waterborne travel possible. Europeans who came to the region admired the watercraft, which were both nimble and durable. Canoe construction was a skilled trade and a technological marvel. The building of the Soo Locks essentially made traversing the rapids obselete. In 1798, the first lock on the St. Mary's river was built to help support the North American fur trade. Situated on the north shore of the river the lock was approx. 40-ft long and 9-ft wide to accommodate the passage of canoes. Following that, the modern locks now make avoiding the rapids very easy and possible in under 20 minutes.
As time moved on, recreational activities tended to favour cruise ships and lake getaways. One historical landmark, the Ramamda Plaza Ojibway, was built in 1927 overlooking the Soo Locks. Built on property owned by Chase Osborn, it was a unique place. Deemed the Soo's finest building, it is considered one of the most beautiful hotels in Michigan and part of the Soo's past.
