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                                                     Twilight Walking Tours    

               The Twilight Walking Tour is a unique, enjoyable way to experience the sights, fresh air and history of the city of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.  If you have lived here for a while or are new to the area, please take the time to bring a friend or family member on this tour. 

	The tour begins at the main entrance to the Soo Locks. Your host for the tour, Mr. Jim Couling, will start by explaining how the Soo Locks were built and how they recruited the men to work. He describes the extreme conditions that they worked, lived and how some perished along the way. The tour proceeds down Water Street, past an alley that runs along side a local restaurant that at one time was called Plank Alley.  It was a place that you could get into a lot of mischief and your mother would not have approved of. 

	You then proceed down the street to where a strap railroad originally ran up and down the middle of the street, hauling supplies and merchandise to different businesses. You will then come upon a home that at one time was owned by John Jacob Astor, it is the oldest continuously lived in homes in Michigan. It is currently owned and occupied by the Dr. Kevin and Pamela Cooper family.

	After you pass this historic home, you head toward Brady Park, which has been the scene of many historical events and festivities. There have been native encampments, trading and a number of disagreements in which a large number of lives were lost. Brady Park is a place where a number of historical people have walked where you will walk on this tour. Brady Park also is the site of an obelisk, which was dedicated by President Teddy Roosevelt at the fiftieth anniversary of the Soo Locks. 

	At this stage of the tour you are about half finished, but you still have a lot of history still yet to see.  You then come to a home that at one time served as the fort pharmacy. This particular home dates as far back as the 1860s, and has been lived in by the DeMolen family since the 1960s. After passing the DeMolen residence, you walk a short distance and are standing in front of the home of John and Susan Johnson, Bishop Baraga and finishes up with a great story of very brave sailors with the Valley Camp larger than life in the background.

	Let me finish by letting you in on a little secret. If  I had not taken the time to go on this very enjoyable tour, I may have never have known or truly appreciated all this little stretch of streets has to offer historically. Mr. Jim Couling is a great very knowledgeable tour guide who has a wonderful flair with words and stories. He brings history, myth and legend a little bit closer to us. Please take the time to take a friend, family member or special someone along with you to enjoy the experience. Twilight Tours run Friday and Saturday evenings starting at 8:00 pm and meet at the main gate of the Soo Locks. Mr. Couling works only for tips and is well worth every penny. 

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