August 20, 2017 – Sunday
St. Clair is at the junction of the St. Clair and Pine rivers where the British built a fort in 1764 to protect their shipping route from Fort Michilimackinac to Detroit. In the early 1800’s it became known for its early shipbuilding and lumbering. St. Clair’s present day industries are led by the Diamond Crystal Salt Company, headquarters of the nation’ third largest salt producer.
Salt might be their largest industry but on a beautiful Sunday afternoon their biggest activities seem to be playing in the crystal clear water of St. Clair River, enjoying the day at Palmer Park, and/or listening to live music at St. Clair Riverview Plaza. We enjoyed both the park and the live music but the real activity of the day was happening a few miles upstream, the 40th Annual Port Huron Float Down.
Every year in August the St. Clair River is closed to boat traffic from Port Huron to Chrysler Beach in Marysville, about five miles, for the float down. According to the local news, this year sixty-five floats and thousands of floaters participated. The New Times Herald reported that “As of 5:30 p.m. Sunday, officials had arrested two people at the Port Huron Float Down, saved three lives and assisted 86 others on the water.”
Last year the wind swept about 300 United States citizens onto the Canadian shores without a passport. The Canadians collected and processed the floaters and bused them back to the US. We actually first heard about the float over the radio, the announcement was that the float is dangerous and that people should not participate, but if they did, they better bring their passports.
