When Northern Michigan's Soo Locks Readied for World War II
Sault Ste. Marie author Bernie Arbic narrates this video that includes photos of the Soo Locks when 7,000 soldiers defended them during World War II.
Could Adolph Hitler's German army penetrate an isolated peninsula in the Great Lakes where the best defense against, well everything, was a piping hot pastie? During World War II America's generals feared they might—especially given that 90 percent of the country's iron ore sailed through the Soo Locks, located in the Northern Michigan Upper Peninsula city of Sault Ste. Marie. What to do? Send 7,000 American troops to defend the locks. Narration by Sault Ste. Marie author/historian Bernie Arbic (City on the Rapids) in this video makes this little-known aspect of World War II history come alive.
*With special thanks to the Chippewa Historical Society for help in the production of this video.
Find More About This Fascinating Story in the March 2012 Issue of Traverse, Northern Michigan's Magazine—On Newsstands Soon!
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