Port Huron

Port Huron, city, seat of Saint Clair County, southeastern Michigan, a deepwater port on Lake Huron (from which its name is derived) and on the Saint Clair River; incorporated as a city 1857. A junior college is here. The Blue Water International Bridge (1937-1938) and the International Train Tunnel connect the city with Sarnia, Ontario, across the Saint Clair River. Fort Saint Joseph was built here by the French about 1686, but permanent settlement began only after Fort Gratiot was constructed in 1814. Port Huron was created by the merger of five communities in 1837. It was a major lumbering center until the 1880s. Population 33,981 (1980); 33,694 (1990); 32,338 (2000); 31,501 (2005 estimate).