River Ferries

 Crossing the North Saskatchewan River before bridges were built was often treacherous.

Before bridges joined the opposite banks of the North Saskatchewan River, people could cross the river in a few ways if the conditions were right. People could ford at shallow spots when the water level was low, or swim. High water levels and rapid flow could prevent crossing for months.

Another option was crossing by boat. John Walter described a boat crossing this way, "They pull it some distance upstream and jump aboard and row and pull as hard as possible to reach the other side, praying fervently at the same time that the spot they would land would be a reasonable distance of where they wanted to get."

Crossing in winter was possible once the river ice froze thick enough; however, it is always dangerous moving freight or animals over the ice, especially with a river flowing underneath. Between the first part of winter and the spring thaw, months could go by where no crossing was possible.

In 1882, an early entrepreneur named John Walter ordered more than a half-ton of cable from Winnipeg and had it shipped across the country by ox cart. He strung it across the river near where the High Level Bridge is today to create a stable ferry crossing between Edmonton on the north side and Strathcona on the south.

The first ferry was capable of transporting one wagon and team at a time, although he did build a longer version as demand grew. The ferry operated from the time the river was clear of ice in the spring until freeze up. The business came to an end with the completion of the High Level Bridge in 1913. John Walter regarded the end favourably and the newspaper quoted him as saying: "We took the scow out of the river and I hope to never use it again."

Original story posted by Gary Dick to an internal Edmonton website.