St. Clair River Tunnel
Rail tunnel between the US and Canada in Port Huron, Michigan. Built 1891. Added to the National Register in 1970, and a National Historic Landmark.
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What it is
The St. Clair Tunnel is the name for two separate rail tunnels which were built under the St. Clair River between Sarnia, Ontario and Port Huron, Michigan. The original opened in 1891 and was the first full-size subaqueous tunnel built in North America. It was replaced by a new larger tunnel in 1994. It is a National Historic Landmark of the United States, and has been designated a civil engineering landmark by both US and Canadian engineering bodies.
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The record
| Property type | Structure |
| Address | St. Clair River between Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario, Port Huron, MI |
| County | St. Clair County |
| Listed | Oct 15, 1970 |
| Listed for | Transportation, Engineering, Commerce |
| Level of significance | National |
| Reference number | 70000684 |
| Built | 1891 · more from the 1890s |
| Type of place | railway tunnel, international tunnel |
| Designations | National Historic Landmark, Historic Civil Engineering Landmark |
| Contributing resources | 3 structures |
The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗
Visiting
| Address | St. Clair River between Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario, Port Huron, MI |
| Coordinates | 42.9583° N, 82.4104° W · Directions ↗ |
| Nearest national park unit | River Raisin National Battlefield Park · 87 miles · on Park Atlas |
Explore
Drawings & photographs
Measured drawings and photographs from the Library of Congress. Public domain. All 7 records ↗
Map
Nearby in St. Clair County
Michigan travel guides
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
When was St. Clair River Tunnel listed on the National Register?
Oct 15, 1970. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.
Source: National Park Service
When was St. Clair River Tunnel built?
1891.
Source: Wikidata
Where is St. Clair River Tunnel?
St. Clair River between Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario, Port Huron, St. Clair County, Michigan. The nearest national park unit is River Raisin National Battlefield Park, 87 miles away.
What does the St. Clair River Tunnel listing include?
The listing counts 3 contributing resources. Those are 3 structures. A contributing resource is a part of the listed property that carries its historic significance.
Source: National Park Service
Are there historic photographs or drawings of St. Clair River Tunnel?
Yes. The Historic American Buildings Survey at the Library of Congress has drawings or photographs of it.
Source: Library of Congress
Where is the nomination form for St. Clair River Tunnel?
The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.
Source: National Archives
Sources
Location, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Listing dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet where it carries the listing. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 70000684. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA. Drawings and photographs are Historic American Buildings Survey records at the Library of Congress, public domain.