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Chicora Incident 1870, The
The St. Mary's River was the scene of an international dispute between Canada and the United States in May 1870. The Canadian government had sent an expeditionary force to quell a Métis uprising led by Louis Riel at Fort Garry (Winnipeg). It chartered the steamer Chicora to ferry troops and supplies as far as Fort William. The canal at Sault Ste Marie was on American territory, and U.S. officials refused passage to the ship because of its military cargo. The Chicora had to unload its troops and cargo on the Canadian side of the river, pass through the canal empty, and reload on the Lake Superior shore. The incident prompted construction of a Canadian canal which was completed in 1895.
Location
Near the Canadian locks, off Huron Street, Sault Ste. Marie