M.S. Norgoma. Photo: Tourism Sault Ste. Marie

Built in 1950, the Norgoma is the last surviving ship from an era before highways connected the Sault to southern Ontario. Today she is a floating museum that shows what life used to be like for people traveling to the isolated communities on the north shore of the Great Lakes.

Marine travel has always been essential to this area. Until 1963, shortly after the International Bridge opened, the Norgoma carried people and goods between the Sault and Owen Sound. Her cargo included all the items needed for daily life, such as food, farm equipment, lumber, fuel, and livestock. In later years, the Norgoma brought passengers from Canada, the U.S., and Europe on cruises through the beautiful scenery of the Great Lakes. She also worked as a ferry in Tobermory before finally being retired in 1974.