Always On The Other Side - Part 1

The book was published in 1990 and today it is a hard to fine item. Mr. Rechnitzer has graciously given Sandpoint.com permission to post his book for your enjoyment. Because of its length the book will be presented in parts.

INTRODUCTION

The era of the ferryboat in what is now Bonner County began and ended at Seneacquoteen or as the crossing was to be later known Laclede. The ferryboat age lasted about 100 years, beginning in the mid 1800's. It was a very important part of the pioneering effort.

The beginning came as settlers began to respond to the alluring tales being told by the great explorers of the Northwest. Their stories of unending forests and abundant water sounded like the opportunity men of the Midwest had been looking for and was far better than breaking prairie sod as their parents had done. The desire for a newer and still better life drove men west in search of such opportunities.

To appreciate truly the importance of the ferry crossing, the reader must erase mentally all thought of paved highways and gravel roads. It has to be remembered that in this mountainous wilderness the trees were everywhere; if not trees then brush and rock. Such paths as existed were largely game trails also being used by the Indians. At certain times of the year travel was far easier by water than land.

As inland destinations assumed greater importance, cross-country travel whether to the gold fields of British Columbia or to key trading posts roads became vital to the development of the area. Since this part of north Idaho was bisected by a river system first known as Clark's Fork of the Columbia, both the Clark Fork and Pend d'Oreille rivers created gaps in any trail or wagon road.

There were so many gaps in the system that over the years there were as many as fifteen crossings over which ferryboats of one type or another operated. Tributaries such as Priest River, Pack River, Trestle Creek and HooDoo Creek, to name a few, were quickly bridged, even when those bridges had to be replaced more than once due to fire and high water.

But any story about ferries is much more than a story about various types of boats that could be floated, with a load, from one bank to another. The real story is about the men and women who created and operated the ferries. The story is also about the communities that grew up alongside the ferry landing roads.

While quite the opposite from a desert oasis, each ferry landing was an important destination for the traveler. There he would have to stop using the occasion for rest, relaxation and replenishment. The Indians had used the river crossings for just such purposes and so did the white men who moved in with them.