Sault Ste Marie Settled

Sault Ste. Marie: Where the Waters Gathered and a City Was Born

On July 20, 1668 Father Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit missionary and explorer, formally established a mission at a powerful bend in the river that connected Lake Superior and Lake Huron. That settlement became Sault Ste. Marie. The Soo is recognized as Michigan’s oldest city, and one of the oldest cities in the United States west of the Appalachian Mountains.

But long before Marquette arrived, the area was already known as a vital place. For over 2,000 years, Indigenous peoples gathered here, drawn to the bounty of fish and fur along the turbulent waters of the St. Marys River. They called the site “Bahweting”, or “The Gathering Place”. A fitting name that captures both the physical abundance and cultural significance of the region. Native people built bark- and hide-covered lodges here and returned seasonally for world-class fishing. This tradition that continues to this day.

The settling of Michigan’s Oldest City

The first European visitors were French fur traders and missionaries in the early 1600s. They called the site “Sault du Gastogne.” Then came Father Jacques Marquette, who, along with Father Claude Dablon, saw the spiritual and strategic potential of the land. On July 20, 1668, Marquette renamed the site “Sault Sainte Marie”. This was in honor of the Virgin Mary and established a permanent Jesuit mission. This act marked the official birth of the city—and an enduring European presence in the region.

Sault Ste. Marie’s founding wasn’t just a spiritual milestone. The location, straddling the St. Marys River, was key for trade and travel between Lake Superior and Lake Huron, laying the groundwork for centuries of economic and geopolitical importance. Later, when the Upper Peninsula shifted from Canadian to American control in 1797, the city was physically split into Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, forever reflecting its dual heritage.

Throughout its long and layered history, Sault Ste. Marie has flown the flags of several nations, served as a center for Native and European cultures, and witnessed the evolution of Michigan itself. It all started with the people who gathered at Bahweting—and with one determined missionary who built a mission by the rapids.

So today, we celebrate more than a founding date. We honor Sault Ste. Marie as a meeting place of cultures, a hub of history, and the original gateway to the Great Lakes.

Marisa Fancy along with her husband and four children dreamt of moving “Up North”. They had vacationed for years in northern Michigan and in 1995 they finally made the move.

The family was always out exploring, but with 4 kids there was some limitations on what they could do. Marisa discovered the amazing network of trails in Northern Michigan after Steve died and she would walk for miles. The trails provided her with peace, comfort and solitude at a difficult time in her life. Later, after meeting Guy who would become her second husband, she learned to golf and found another passion she could enjoy in beautiful Northern Michigan.

Marisa has been the family historian, writer, and poet for as long as she can remember. She has always loved to write and has now found a creative outlet for it other than family. You can read her articles in Adventures in Northern Michigan, Northern Michigan History and Golf Up North.