ABSTRACT
Michigan's location and the character of its economic development have been major factors in the nature of its transportation and trade patterns. The water transportation system is especially well adapted for handling bulky, low-value-per-unit-weight materials from northern to southern Great Lakes ports and vice versa. Three major developments have facilitated the movement of traffic on the Great Lakes. First was the completion in 1855 of locks to allow negotiation of the falls on the St. Marys River located between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. A second factor was the completion of the Welland Canal in 1932 and the building of locks on the St. Lawrence River to open the Great Lakes to ocean traffic. The third major development was the building of facilities in Michigan's lake ports to handle lake carriers as well as oceangoing vessels. The first railroad line was chartered in Michigan in 1830 the network has grown to serve most of the populated areas.
