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TELESCOPE Page 3 THE NEEBISH ISLAND ROCK CUT by RICHARD J. KRUSE Much has been written about the Soo Locks and the vast project un- dertaken to bypass the rapids that separate the two cities of Sault Ste. Marie. Equally valuable, yet little heralded is the other 48 mile stretch of the St. Marys River from the Soo to the open waters of Lake Huron. This article will deal with only a mile section of the St. Marys River, but one of the most costly excavation jobs on the Great Lakes. In 1856, the United States Govern- ment made the first appropriation for improving the St. Marys River channels. Dredging through shoals of sand, clay, boulders, sandstone and limestone has continued so that to- dzy the total dredged area is more than 68 miles in length. Neebish Island lies in the St. Marys avout fifteen miles S.S.E. of the Soo. The island is about 8 miles long and 4 miles wide containing an area of about 20 square miles. Be- fore the turn of the century, all shipping went up and down the east side of Neebish because the west side was blocked by an area of rap- ids. The river was wide on the east side and, with the exception of a point at the southeastern tip of the island, there was a natural channel. Just after the turn of the century the United States thought it neces- sary to further improve the channels on the St. Marys in the Neebish area. Several times, the narrow passages at the southeastern tip of the island (Johnson's Point) had been blocked by collisions between up and downbound vessels. This point in the river caused difficult prob- lems because of the sharp ninety degree turn which was hidden by the tall forests on Neebish Island. The U. S. Government decided that this hazard could be eliminated if a channel were cut down the west side of Neebish Island following the nat- ural river course. This would mean that upbound and downbound traffic could be separated and chances of blocking the river at Johnson's Point would be eliminated. In 1903, the excavation of the West Neebish Channel was started. Most of the dredging was easy going because the river bottom was mud and clay. One area of the intended chan- nel presented a very big challenge, however. This was the area of shal- low rapids at thepoint where Neebish is only a few hundred feet from the mainland. Old timers still living in the area tell of how the rapids could be crossed by jumping from boulder to boulder when the water was low. It is told that when the inhabitants of the island learned that a channel was to be cut between the west side of the island and the mainland, they banded together to build a bridge over the rapids. It was thought that if there was a bridge between the island and the mainland, the govern-: ment would have to replace any ex- isting roadway once the channel was completed. The Neebish Islanders were ready