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Photograph of St. Clair Tunnel
Photograph by Unknown, Public domain. Via Wikimedia Commons.

St. Clair River Tunnel

A National Historic Landmark. Built in 1891. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

From the record

“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.”

Wikipedia article St. Clair Tunnel, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 28 National Register listings published here for St. Clair County · listed in 1970 · category: Structure · built in 1891 · a National Historic Landmark.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

  • National Historic Landmark. The highest federal designation, held by about 2,600 places in the country against roughly 100,000 Register listings.
  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 3 structuress as contributing to the listing.
  • Address. St. Clair River between Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario, Port Huron, 48060
  • When was it listed? October 1970
  • Category. structure
  • City. Port Huron city
  • When was it built? 1891
  • National Register reference number. 70000684 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

14 since 2018

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 14 fires within 5 miles of St. Clair River Tunnel between 2018 and 2020, burning about 14 acres in total. 1 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Equipment and vehicle use6
Missing data/not specified/undetermined5
Smoking1
Recreation and ceremony1
Natural1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
17 August 2019Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesPORT HURON FD 2223 - 2019
13 August 2019Recreation and ceremony1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesPORT HURON FD 2176 - 2019
25 July 2020Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesPORT HURON TOWNSHIP FD 607 - 2020
5 June 2020Equipment and vehicle use1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesPORT HURON FD 1413 - 2020
5 June 2020Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesPORT HURON TOWNSHIP FD 476 - 2020
14 June 2018Equipment and vehicle use1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesPORT HURON FD 0001515 - 2018
8 May 2018Natural1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesFORT GRATIOT FD 1800480 - 2018
7 May 2018Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresMichigan Department of Natural ResourcesPORT HURON FD 0001175 - 2018

Every fire recorded in St. Clair County

Mines and quarries near this property

2 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 2 workings within 5 miles of St. Clair River Tunnel: 2 past producers. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Salt. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Morton Salt Co--Marysville, Mich.SaltPast Producer
Morton Salt Co--Port Huron, Mich.SaltPast Producer

Every working recorded in St. Clair County

Storms near this property

48 since 1995

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Port Huron, the town this property stands in, in 48 storm reports between 1995 and 2025: 31 thunderstorm wind, 13 hail, 3 lightning, 1 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
February 2021FloodPort Huron$550,000At least 20 houses were reported to be impacted with flooding, with major damage occurring to 3 of houses.
August 2009Thunderstorm WindPort Huron$175,000Dozens of trees and power lines were reported blown down. Trees blocked roads and at least two fell onto houses.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindPort Huron$75,000Trees and wires reported down across St. Clair County.
July 2007Thunderstorm WindPort Huron$50,000Law enforcement reported numerous trees and power poles down in Fort Gratiot, covering a 2 square mile area between Keewahdin and Carrigan Roads. Several homes received damage from falling trees. No one was injured. Total property damages were estimated at roughly $50K.
June 1995Thunderstorm WindPort Huron$50,000Strong thunderstorm winds knocked down trees and caused widespread power outages.
July 1999Thunderstorm WindPort Huron$18,000no account filed
December 1998Thunderstorm WindPort Huron$10,000no account filed
August 1997Thunderstorm WindPort Huron$10,000no account filed
July 1999Thunderstorm WindPort Huron$8,000no account filed
April 2009Thunderstorm WindPort Huron$6,000A tree fell onto a car.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindPort Huron$5,000Several trees reported down.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindPort Huron$5,000A large tree limb, about 2 feet in circumference, crashed into a minivan, severing a power line on its way down.
June 1998LightningPort Huron$5,000no account filed
June 2006LightningPort Huron$2,000A local newspaper reported that a utility pole was struck by lightning on Lakeshore Road.
June 2012Thunderstorm WindPort Huron$1,500Large tree branches where reported blown down, one of which landed on a the rear of a car.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindPort Huron$1,000Large tree limbs reported down.
March 2025Thunderstorm WindPort Huron-A two foot diameter tree reported blown down.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindPort Huron-Numerous roads were closed due to downed trees and powerlines over southern Port Huron.
July 2023Thunderstorm WindPort Huron-A house suffered roof damage.
May 2016Thunderstorm WindPort Huron-A large tree limb was reported blown down.
August 2016Thunderstorm WindPort Huron-Large tree limbs and power lines reported down.
September 2014Thunderstorm WindPort Huron-Several large trees and tree limbs blown down.
May 2013Thunderstorm WindPort Huron-Several trees reported blown down.
July 2013Thunderstorm WindPort Huron-Trees reported blown down.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindPort Huron-Trees down along Gratiot Avenue.
June 2008Thunderstorm WindPort Huron-A trained spotter recorded a measured wind gust of 65 mph.
May 2007Thunderstorm WindPort Huron-A trained spotter reported large limbs down.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindPort Huron-Trained spotter reported large limbs down near Port Huron.
June 2006Thunderstorm WindPort Huron-Law enforcement reported trees blown down.
June 2005Thunderstorm WindPort Huron-Large tree limbs were reported blown down.
September 2005LightningPort Huron-Lightning knocked out the county dispatch radio system. Trees also caught fire from lightning strikes.
September 2005Thunderstorm WindPort Huron-Numerous trees and large limbs were reported down. Power lines were also reported down along 11th Avenue.
June 2004Thunderstorm WindPort Huron-A large tree fell over utility lines near 10th Avenue and Hancock Street. Power was knocked out to area neighborhoods and some traffic signals.
April 2003Thunderstorm WindPort Huron-A 60 MPH wind gust was measured by the Coast Guard.
July 2002Thunderstorm WindPort Huron-A newspaper reported that a large tree was blown over in thunderstorms winds and landed next to an apartment building, tearing the electrical service box from the building.
September 2019HailPort Huron-no account filed
August 2016HailPort Huron-no account filed
June 2008HailPort Huron-no account filed
June 2008HailPort Huron-no account filed
June 2008HailPort Huron-no account filed
June 2006HailPort Huron-no account filed
May 2006HailPort Huron-no account filed
May 2006HailPort Huron-no account filed
May 2006HailPort Huron-no account filed
July 2000HailPort Huron-no account filed
May 1998HailPort Huron-no account filed
August 1997HailPort Huron-no account filed
June 1996HailPort Huron-no account filed

Every storm recorded in St. Clair County

Map coverage status

No historic map-sheet match is published for this property yet. That does not mean no map exists. This record needs a coordinate-quality review before it can be joined to a sheet boundary. Browse the county's mapped places while that work is pending.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
USCGC BRAMBLE (cutter)0.4 miles2012
Wilbur F. Davidson House0.5 miles1972
Harrington Hotel1.0 miles1982
Federal Building1.1 miles1974
Seventh Street-Black River Bridge1.2 miles2000
Military Road Historic District1.2 miles1998

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 70000684 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
St. Clair CountyAll 28 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.