Kemp Coal Dock Office, now the Kemp Industrial Museum

The Kemp Coal Dock Office was built in 1904 by
Sault businessman George Kemp. He owned all of
the waterfront property between the Edison power
house and the Coast Guard station. In 1917 Kemp
turned his coal business over to his sons and the
building became the office for Kemp Brothers Coal
Company, which operated in the Sault until 1959.
In 1960 the property was given to the City of Sault
Ste. Marie and developed for a variety of touristrelated
businesses. In 2007 the Coal Company
office building was opened as the Kemp Industrial
Museum.
Drawn by the natural resources of the region, and
access to transportation and energy, the Union
Carbide, Northwestern Leather Company, Soo
Woolen Mill and Cadillac-Soo Lumber Company
became the major employers of the Sault.
As local natural resources grew scarce and
processing and product demands changed, the
Sault’s major industries were no longer viable.
All had shut down by the early 1960s. It is these
industries that are remembered in the Kemp
Industrial Museum.