HISTORICAL The history of Sault Ste. Marie, particularly in its formative years, is inextricably interwoven with its location on the banks of the St. Mary's river. Natives used the site for fishing since whitefish were a major staple of their diet. The early French settlers, and later, the English used the river for transportation and commerce. Trappers sought the beaver that inhabited the banks of the river and its tributaries. With the arrival of Sir Francis Clergue the river offered power generation for domestic as well as industrial consumption. The development of Sault Ste Marie's early industrial base would not have been possible without the river. Today its aesthetics provides a new commercial attraction, namely tourism.