PORT HURON

city, seat (1871) of St. Clair county, eastern Michigan, U.S. It lies at the lower end of Lake Huron, on the St. Clair River, opposite Sarnia, Ont., with which it is connected by the Blue Water International Bridge and a railroad tunnel. In 1814 Fort Gratiot was built on the site of the earlier French Fort St. Joseph (1686), and a village was established. Port Huron was created (1837) by a unification of four villages (Peru, Desmond, Gratiot, and Huron). Fort Gratiot Lighthouse (1829; oldest on the Great Lakes, with an 80-foot [24-metre] tower) marks the St. Clair Straits. Originally a lumber and shipbuilding centre, the city is now a railway and St. Lawrence Seaway terminal, with one of the few natural deepwater ports on the Great Lakes. Diversified industries include the production of salt, cement, machinery, tools, and auto parts. St. Clair County Community College originated in 1923 as Port Huron Junior College. Thomas Edison spent his early years in the city and worked on the Grand Trunk Railroad, which ran from Port Huron to Detroit. Inc. village, 1849; city, 1857. Pop. (1990) 33,694.