The name of Chippewa County is from an Indian word, that means "to pucker."   It comes from the Algonquin Indian word " otchipwa ," which means "to pucker". And it refers to the seams around the bottoms of the moccasins that the Indians wore in this area. The Algonquins called these, "people who wear puckered shoes."   " Otchipaw " turned into Chippewa as the name of the Indian band, who lived in what we know as Chippewa County . It's located on the northeastern end of Michigan 's Upper Peninsula . This county includes the largest freshwater island in the United States , Drummond Island . Three of the Great Lakes border Chippewa County , Lake Superior to the north, Lakes Huron and Michigan to the south. Lakes Huron and Michigan are the same level, and boats freely go from one to the other through the Straits of Mackinac. Lake Superior, however, is 21 feet higher than the other Great Lakes, which is why the Northwest Fur Company constructed the first lock in Canada in 1797 in Sault Ste. Marie. Boats could enter the lock from Lake Huron . The gates would close, water would be pumped in until the boat was 21 feet higher, when it could continue its voyage onto Lake Superior . The Northwest Fur Company lock was destroyed in the War of 1812, but locks were rebuilt in the 1850's, which made Chippewa County a center for fur trading. Today the United States operates 2 locks on the St. Mary's River, and Canada operates one lock on their side. The Soo Locks are the largest fresh water locks in the world, and they're also the busiest. The American Sault Ste. Marie is on the south shore, the Canadian Soo is across the International Bridge on the other side of the river.   With water on 3 sides and lots of lakes and streams within its borders, Chippewa county is a very productive area for our Michigan Fish & Game Hall of Fame.

Chippewa County Websites and Locations of Interest

http://www.soolocks.com/index.phtml - Soo Locks Boat Tours