St. Marys River (Michigan–Ontario) St. Marys River (Michigan–Ontario) The St. Marys River (), sometimes written as the St. Mary's River, drains Lake Superior, starting at the end of Whitefish Bay and flowing southeast into Lake Huron, with a fall of . For its entire length it is an international border, separating Michigan in the United States from Ontario, Canada. The twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan are connected across the St. Marys River by the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge. The St. Marys Rapids are just below the river's exit from Lake Superior and can be bypassed by
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario 21st century, the two cities are joined by the International Bridge, which connects Interstate 75 on the Michigan side, and Huron Street (and former Ontario Secondary Highway 550B) on the Ontario side. Shipping traffic in the Great Lakes system bypasses the Saint Mary's Rapids via the American Soo Locks, the world's busiest canal in terms of tonnage that passes through it, while smaller recreational and tour boats use the Canadian Sault Ste. Marie Canal. French colonists referred to the rapids on the river as "Les Saults de Ste. Marie" and the village name was derived from that. The rapids and