- DUPL
418,089
+ he
The old lee-k on
Canadian side of 5s vºt
ste. marie, recently discoveral


side of Sault Ste. Marie,
recently discovered.
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****
CFFICH. C.F ST. M. ARY S R ALIS C. AN # I.
S
! {|L'I' Sº
S
H.
MARIE, "Iſ H. Aug. 12, 1889.
Colonel G. *. Poe
r
Corps of Engineers, G. S. A.,
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Šault have récently been äiscovered. This being the germ cf the
r has ſuch historical interest. I havg., there-
fºre, t tº ºcłor t c 3 ubiſit the following notes Kit is re -
The -axistence of this lock has been completely
t; he ºf ºitiors c: the locality. Judge Joseph H. Stee
piacº in ex3 tº iring old books and documents gonnected i
History of Sault Stº. #8 ris, t cutti some meager. Häntion of this lock.
intº rºstěč &nd obtained from Kr. Bryºner, Canadian ºrchivist,
nformation together with some old iſ tips. These he shºwed
he and invited tº to accompany aim. .in a tsarch for the ruins. I did
so and was present whºm they Wera found.
# he unusually Jo; water of this season facilitated the search.
Joseph Cozins, Frovingiai Land Surveyor of $8 ult Ste. Marig, Qutaric,
felt much interest in the latter, and furnished a gang of Etºn Who re-
#oved 8 portion of the eartſ, thigh covered and concealed the floor and
foundation - all that retained of the structure. These were found to
be in perfect condition - indeed they could tº used again for a similar.
purpose if neces; ery. --
The location of the lock is shown at "A" in Škºtº; h Éo. 1.
Šketch Šo. 2, is a "plaii" which accompanies a let
*essrs. Forsyth, 8ich 3rd son & Co. and dated April 18th, 1.80%. Thºse
gentlemen were for Her partners in the North-West Company, but were
dissatisfied and seeking to establish a new coſt ºry. it iill be ob-
gºved that the canal is shown on this "plan" but not i nº lock. .
Sketch No. 3, shºws those parts ci the old lock still I & Häining
which wers, uncovered and examined. These consist of the floor, theº
foundation ot, which it rests, the lower ground-sill and the retains of
º
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some timbers shown at "D. H. & #", the use of which is ng exactly
understood but which probably served to correct the locłºś
uţ (; &r à pºrº Q 33 h. - • * :
The floor of the lock is 40 feet long and 8 ft. 9 in. ii, width.
It is made of piank two lific tº thick running iongit ºil &ily. "#2 y
&re f ::ster, tº to transverse f ourid at jh & Côāg n piłg shown
tr. timber 3 tº it
th. or £ijäte oriº gº i jig närr
º -
Ç
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a timber formed the sill for the
e Ç
top of i his is pinièi º pić
W:3.
gºt "º", "herº ºr's 1%
than the others. The
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inches thick. It is probable tºt this








-2–
piece was the cleat against which the lower edge of the gate rested
#hen closed. There are mortices in each end of this timb ºr shown
hase Hortices, the countersinking and notch in tie floor
l j
l
indicate that vertical timbers 14 inches square stood
- The ren: s cf. en old Wharf were found at "R" Sketch i. There
&re many large boulders along the Shore 2nd in the shallow water, but
it was observed that all had been regioved from in front of the lock,
de &nd 5 ºf e entrance.
ketch 1, were found old timbers embedded in the eart n or
leaving a wi
#t "C II Š
both sides of the stream. These timbers appear to have been part of
t fle foundation of a dialſ. The fall in the Water. from this pºint to
the old lock is at present about sever, feet. it is probable that the
iſ raised the Water two feet, thus giving a lift to the lock of nine
The timber used seems to be spruce. Thers were some nails used
about the structure, three or four of which were rect f
hand made and seem to have been cut from a square r
blacks Tith. -
The small stream between A and Č, Šketch 'o. 1, seems to be réce
ent.
lt was probably caused by th: iam at "C" and did not exist until after
the lock and its £pproach were destroyed. It is this stream which
carried down the material which covered and concealed the iſ loor and
found £tions. -
The following description of the lock is by Captain Kruy eres of
the £nglish Army, dated September 10, 1802, and is given ºn page 28,
"Canadian Archives, 1886".
"j'hº landing is in a bay immediately at the bottom of
"the nearest chºnnai to the land of the north shore. A g
"boats is built at the landing, on which a store house, 60
T,
h
£
f
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l
C
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"50 feet Widé is erected. The Wharf is planked, and pathways made and
"planked all around it. Close to the store a lock , is constructed for
"boats and canoes, being 38 feet long, 8 feet $ inches wide. The lower
"gate lets down by a windlass; the upper has two folding gates with a
"sluice. The Weter rises º feet in the lock. A leading trough of
"timber, frated and planked, 300 feet in length, 8 feet 9 ingº & Wide,
"8 feet high, supported and leveled an beams of ced &r through th
"is constructed to conduct the Water from the canal to the lock. A
"road raised and planked 12 feet Wide for cattle extends; thº Whole
• *
* * * * *,
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"length of the trough. The ceral, begins at the head of i'i ºrigi; is a
"3 ha ºn 3 J cleared of rocks a nd the project ing point 3 ºxçaw at 36 to
"admit the passage of canoes and boats. This canal is about 3,580
"feet in length, With a raised bridge or pathway of round logs at the
“sića of it 12 feet Wide for oxen to track the boats. About 170 feet
"from the upper part of the camal a store house is built 56 feet long,
"2% feet wide. An excellent saw ſtill for two saws is constructed and
"placed in a line with the lock parallel to it". (G. 582, p.215. )
-
£,
-
º
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ription and from the parts of the
structure remaining, that the lock and its upper entrance or "leading
trºugh" as it is called by Captain Bruyères, Were both constructed of
wood as in the manner of a flume — that is, the bottom and side were
of plank, the sides held in place by vertical timbers tied together.
at the top by horizontal cross-pieces, which were high enough so the
boats could pass under them. This theory is sustained by the fact
that the transverse timbers still remaining ..under the floor of the
lock have mortices .ini their ends for vertical timbers and by the
fari her fººt, that there are no remains of earth Work: Op. pet airling Walls
an eithér side of the old lock or its upper approach,
T tº dotted limes from . A to C in Sketch No. 1, show the probable
loº &tion of the approach or "leading trough". The car;81 mentioned by
Bruyères, is still very conspicuous. The "pathway of round logs" can
y&t be found in place.
The lock was built in 1797–98, (page 20,0anadian Archives). Brief
mentions are made of it by Haridori, Captain Bruyeres (as given above)
&nd Schoolcraft. Mr. Krym cer. says: "ſhe history of the construction
"of a canal cm the Canadian side of the Šault Ste. ičarie is still ſtore
"obscure t haſ that of the St. Lawrence Canals. The very existence of
"this gºnel has bººn entirely forgotten. Being a private undertaking
... "there are no records of the work in any public department, Fritish or .
"Canadian. Hvidence on the subject has been obtained solely froſſ the
"paper's Goncerning the disputes between the rival. North–West Companies".
it see ºs probabie from this des
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Q
Mr. bryºner also says: — "Gabriel Franchire (Relation d'au Voyage; # or treal
"1823, p. 27.8% states that on his arrival at the east end of £ig bipigºt on
t
"Pay, cr the 26th, of June, 1814, he met Captain McCargo, and the grew of
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"one of t is kn -
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"Sault Ste. Marie. About 150 'Aillericans in coſtmºnd of a jor. Hoiſſes had
"3 it acked the post, pillaged it of every article Cí V &lue belonging to
"the company and to #r. Johnston, end set fire to all the houses, stores,
"sheds, &c. QI, the 30th, he, with Mr. Gillivray and other's W ent to Sault
"Ště. Marie, where they found the ruins of the buildings, including the
"saw-mili, still smoking, and the schooners driven down to the foot of the
"rapid, where she had burned to the Waters' egge."
šo definite mention is here made of the lock, but it is almost
certain that if it had been in existence at the time of the attack it
Would have been destroys i. Being built of wood and mostly above ground
it could have been destroyed as easily as the buildings and sheds. This,
ther, indicates tº limit to the duration of the look. it was completed
in 1798 and could not have existed after. 1814. It is, however, quite
possible that it was destroyed or abandoned before 1814,áš ...º. reference
to it has been found later than 1805. Indeed, it is notºčaš that
it was ever successfully used as a lock. It may have easily be ºn con-
verted into a reaceway for the saw-mili, and this may explain why its
existence as a lock has been so completely forgotten.
It is estimated that there was used in the entire structure 30,000
ft. B. M. of two inch plank and 5,000 fest running measure of hewn timbers.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
' (Signed) E. S. #FE4tFR,
General Superintendent. &c.
3 Inclosures. .
Sketches. 1, 2, & 5."













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H. in larged from
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2. . . . . - - - - -
Part of Map of River St.
ºf sº, 1855
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UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
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