Michigan To Ontario Via Marine Mail?

While cataloging covers I had recently acquired this one caught my attention because I had always heard the city of origin referred to as Sault Sainte Marie.


(See http://img684.imageshack.us/img684/...900sault.jpg for a higher quality image)

A little time on Google revealed that Sault Sainte Marie was the third oldest continuous settlement in the United States and the oldest in Michgan. Originally called Sault de Gaston, French Jesuit missionaries established a settlement there in 1668 and renamed the area Sault de Sainte Marie(the rapids of Saint Mary). The name was changed to Sault Sainte Marie on November 6, 1903.


(See http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/...900sault.jpg for a higher quality image)

From the markings on the reverse it appears the cover moved through Saint Mary's Falls Canal, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario before reaching its final destination in Amherstburg, Ont.

A presentation on Michigan's Marine Mail Operations that I located on the Smithsonian Institution's website ( www.postalmuseum.si.edu/stat...owing_Man.pdf ) provided background on the Saint Mary's Falls Canal postmark. The Army Corps of Engineers, which operates the Sault Canal Locks, unofficially received and delivered mail to and from passing steamboats via the main post office from 1881 to 1906. That practice ended when the Post Office Department officially opened the Canal Station branch office on July 16, 1906 in the Corps of Engineers Building at the locks.

Whether or not this cover traveled to Windsor by ship remains unclear but from what I've been able to find out so far that seems a likely possibility.

[Note: The first post office was established in the Michigan Territory on September 11, 1823 and Michigan became a state on January 26, 1837.]

Amazing the amount of information that curiosity about a single cover can generate. The internet has certainly made our queries much easier.

Really interesting, tomiseksj. Thanks for sharing.
Research would be almost impossible without the internet. Maybe with access to a huge library and lots of spare time...
I've tried researching a few covers and it is compelling, I get drawn in and before I know it, hours have flashed by...

Welcome to my world!

Sweet cover. I live right in the middle of Windsor and Amherstburg (approx 25 miles apart). The great lakes system runs perfectly down through the smaller lake ST Clair and into the Detroit river which windsor and amherstburg reside on, and then on into Lake Erie. Windsor had quite a busy waterfront for many years with most now being parkland. There was alot of train traffic to and from Detroit and Windsor via barge systems and a little known fact is there is a train tunnel under the river that I'm not sure when it was taken out of commision (don't tell homeland security). I actually know a few Smiths from Amherstburg but I'm sure there are more than a couple. The Amherstburg Cash store doesn't ring a bell but the town is very historic being well known for an unloading point for runaway slaves as well as Fort Malden which is still well preserved for visitors to tour. Great pc with some very local to me findings--Love it.

Nitrolures, I tried to find something on the Amherstburg Cash Store but came up empty; however, I just found this on the addressee:

I just mounted this stamp in my album and I thought I'd add it to this post. Issued in 1901, the Scott 298 depicts the canal locks at Sault de Sainte Marie .

Great story tomiseksj

I only knew of a Sault Ste Marie in Ontario, I didn't know there was one in the US as well.

Even at my age I learn something new every day on this forum

Dianne