Local Ferries Took Their Toll
by Bob Gunter
In
our day and time the crossing of a river is an easy
thing to do. There are bridges at every desirable
location and they are crossed without a thought. It
has not been too long ago that most of the rivers in
Bonner County were crossed by the use of
ferries.
To
many people today the thought of crossing a
river on a ferry borders the romantic and
speaks of a time when things were calm and
less hurried. The history of the ferries in
the area reflects many disasters that occurred
while people were trying to get to the other
side.
Some records indicate a ferry operating in 1893. Since that was at least
10 years after the Northern Pacific came through, it is most
likely that there was a considerable amount of river
crossing during the construction of both the railroad bridge
and trackage on both sides.
Click photo to enlarge
The
Pend d'Oreille Review reported one such disaster
in December of 1923. Dr. R.N. Jackson and his nurse,
Mrs. Fred Walters, were responding to a call for
help from a family that lived on the other side of
the river.
Divers look for victims of a Ferry Boat Accident, Sandpoint Idaho.
Click photo to enlarge
Dr.
Jackson drove his car off the ferry at
Seneacquoteen thinking the ferry had reached
shore. A search party used a tugboat to try
recovering the bodies and a professional diver
was later utilized. The bodies of both victims
were eventually recovered and the county
mourned the death of the two prominent
citizens
In
August 1925 the local paper, the Pend
d'Oreille Review, again reported the death of
two local youths. Six young people were
returning from a picnic when their car slipped
off the ferry at Seneacquoteen. Four of the
young people escaped death but Lilly Isabelle
Olson, a teacher, and Joseph Sherman Bassett
were drowned.
Not
all the ferry accidents resulted in death. The
Review, in 1916, reported the fact that a tourist,
Mr. A. Greenburg, had driven to the area in search
of land to purchase. He and his companion reached
the Laclede Ferry about 11:00 PM and not realizing
he was on an open ferry he drove his car into the
river. The two occupants jumped into the deep water
when they saw the water splashing over the front
tires of the vehicle. The automobile was recovered
the next day and Mr. Greenburg stated that he liked
the area so much that he intended to find a sui
On
December 11, 1924 the Review again reported a
disaster on the Pend Oreille River at Newport.
John F. Duncan, a pioneer of Washington, died
when his car plunged into the river. In the
auto with Duncan was Vincent Brown. He was
pulled from the icy water by the ferryman and
survived.
Dr. Jackson Accident in December of 1923, Sandpoint Idaho.
Click photo to enlarge
During
the time that the ferries were in operation there
were many accidents and near disasters. The crossing
of the river on a ferryboat was adventurous but it
was not without hazards.
All photographs have been used with permission of the Bonner County Museum.
|
