Sault Ste. Marie is the oldest city in Michigan, and the third-oldest city in the United States. Over the course of history, the flags of several sovereign nations have flown over the Sault. Over 2,000 years ago, Native Americans began to gather here for the wealth of fish and fur found along the rushing waters of the wide, turbulent river that linked the Great Lakes of Superior and Huron. Spring and fall were important seasons for these original settlers, and they called the area “Bahweting,” or “The Gathering Place.”