Sault Canal Google Project

By Carly Wetzl

Google Arts and Culture is one of Google’s newest additions to their already massive platform. Parks Canada has been invited to create their first batch of interactive virtual exhibits, and the Sault Ste. Marie Canal National Historic Site has been included as a contributor.

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, new apps and programs were quickly created to help people to collaborate and share remotely in work, school, and their personal life. During this time, Parks Canada places were limited by COVID-19 restrictions, and visitors were unable to participate in tours and programing for a long period of time.

When a local school board reached out to the Sault Ste. Marie Canal team to work on a 360° photo walking tour of the site, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to create something similar to add to the interpretive roster: a tour to show those who can’t visit the canal in-person its unique history and beauty.

The Sault Ste. Marie Canal team reached out to Parks Canada’s National Office to help support this endeavor, and it was decided that a Google Virtual Tour would be created! Soon, anyone able to do a quick Google search would also be able to explore the Sault Canal grounds, and learn about its enduring Indigenous history and fascinating technological marvels. The team was thrilled!

But the project was not without setbacks. Disappointingly, only a short time after the team had begun work on creating their virtual tour, Google announced it was discontinuing the long running traditional virtual tours, and would be replacing it with a much more elaborate application called ‘Google Arts and Culture’. This new program would feature high-resolution exhibits from some of the most renowned museums and art galleries from all over the world, and would have a much more stringent vetting process. This program would allow arts and culture to be more accessible to people around the world, and could be used as a tool to inspire and educate.

Parks Canada quickly began working with Google to create the first batch of exhibits to be featured on the platform. The National Team put a call out to those interested, and chose one site or park from each Field Unit to participate. The Sault Ste. Marie Canal was in a perfect position, as they had already begun work on a similar project, so were chosen as one of the first to be included in this new technology.

Work is underway, and we have a lot to look forward to. Not just for the canal, but for all of the other Parks Canada sites involved. Soon, Parks Canada places will create even more unique, exciting, and interactive projects, which include elements from historic images and artifacts to videos and sound clips, and other immersive technologies.

Google Arts and Culture has endless content to explore, from the Guggenheim, to Parisian rooftops, and deep dives into some of the most famous works of art around the globe. There is truly something for everyone.

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