Here are the top museums in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan:
Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
Whitefish Point, 1 hour west of the Sault, MI
906-635-1742
Over 200 shipwrecks litter the eastern part of Lake Superior. The museum is an historic site and features exhibits of shipwreck artifacts, art, ship models, and historic structures. Tour the 1861 Lightkeepers Quarters, see the recovered bell of the steamer Edmund Fitzgerald. Open daily form 10 to 6 pm from mid-may to mid-October. Admission.
Marquette Mission Park and Museum of Ojibwa Culture
500 N. State St., St. Ignace, MI 49781
(906) 643-9161
Learn how the Ojibwa and Huron Indians and the early French settlers lived in the area 300 years ago. The Museum shares the culture of the Ojibwa people, with outdoor exhibits to explain Huron life here. Exhibits show the French-Indian contact and the influence of the French Jesuit Missionary Jacques Marquette on the Indians’ lives. Museum store in adjacent building features locally made Native arts and crafts. Open daily, Memorial day through early October. Admission.
Museum Ship “Valley Camp”
501 E Water St @ Johnston
(906) 632-3658
1-888-744-7867
This is the world’s largest Great lakes Maritime Museum, with the Edmo\und Fitzgerald momrial and lifeboats. Tour the 1917 Steam Powered freighter “Valley Camp”. Explore the ship’s explore her steam engine, dining rooms, crew’s quarters, and pilot house. View the remarkable Soo Locks and watch huge freighters pass quickly and quietly through the world’s busiest inland lock system. Open July and August 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; May 15 – June 30 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sept.1 – Oct. 15 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission.
Pt. Iroquois Lightstation
Six miles west of Brimley, MI, on Lakeshore Drive
U. S. D. A. Forest Service, Box 344, MI 49715
(906) 437-5272
The museum and two room exhibit area depict the history of the lightstation and its families. The Tower is open for climbing. Present structures built in 1870 and 1905 and were renovated and re-opened in 1985. Bookshop offers readings about the Great Lakes area. . Open May 15 to October 15, 9-5 daily. Free Admission.
River of History Museum
209 E. Portage Avenue, 49783
906-632-1999
This museum covers thousands of years of history of the Anishnabek, the original native settlers of the river valley, who fished the rapids for adikameg or whitefish, and traveled in birch bark canoes. The River of History Museum is located in the old post office in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, constructed in 1909-1910 out of limestone from a quarry in Bedford, Indiana. Museum hours: May 15-October 15,10 A.M.- 5 P.M., Mon-Sat Noon to 5 P.M-Sun. Admission.
The Johnston and Schoolcraft House
300 block of East Water St., on the River. Turn right at the end of Ashmun St.
Chippewa County Historical Society, P.O. Box 342, Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783.
(906) 635-5170
This National Historic Site showcases historic homes built in the early 1800’s by John Johnston, who was an early fur trader, married to the daughter of the prominent LaPointe chief. They settled in the Sault in 1793. Henrey Rowe Schoolcraft was the first Indian Agent assigned to Sault Ste. Marie. He met and married Johnston’s daughter Jane. Their home was built in 1827. The Schoolcraft House restoration is still in progress and the Johnston House displays items from the Society’s collection. Open May 15 to Sept. 5, as volunteers permit.Admission is free. The museum is not open for tours.
Wheels of History Museum
corner of Depot Street and M-221 in Brimley, MI
PO Box 273, Brimley 49715
(906) 248-3665
Opened in 1995,this museum is housed in a pre-1905 passenger railcar and caboose. Exhibits include of the Bay Mills and Brimley area artifacts and photographs including railroads, early telephones, logging, fishing, and the Bay Mills Townsite. Open May 15 through October 15, weekends 10-4. From Memorial Day to Labor Day extended to Wednesday through Sunday 10-4. Free Admission.