Port Huron

Lake port and seat of St Clair County, southeastern Michigan, USA, on Lake Huron, at the mouth of the St Clair River, opposite Sarnia, Ontario, and 85 km/53 mi northeast of Detroit; population (1990) 33,700. One of the few natural deepwater ports on the Great Lakes, it is a shipbuilding, lumber, rail, and shipping centre. Other principal industries are the manufacture of machinery, tools, vehicle parts, salt and cement products, and brass. Educational and cultural facilities include St Clair County Community College (1923) and the Museum of Arts and History.

Memorabilia of the scientist and inventor Thomas Edison, who spent his early years in Port Huron, are displayed in the museum. European settlement of the site began in 1686 with the construction of the French Fort St Joseph. It was replaced by a village and Fort Gratiot in 1814, and four village communities on the location were combined to create Port Huron in 1837.