The Canby Ferry is a

cable ferry A cable ferry (including the types chain ferry, swing ferry, floating bridge, or punt) is a ferry that is guided (and in many cases propelled) across a river or large body of water by cables connected to both shores. Early cable ferries often ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

that connects Canby, and Wilsonville/

Stafford Stafford () is a market town and the county town of Staffordshire, England. It is located about south of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Wolverhampton, and northwest of Birmingham. The town had a population of 71,673 at the 2021–2022 United Kingd ...

Clackamas County Clackamas County ( ) is one of the 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2020 census, the population was 421,401, making it Oregon's third-most populous county. Its county seat is Oregon City. The county was named after the na ...

across the

Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward ...

. The service has been in operation since 1914, except from 1946 to 1953. The specific vessel used has been replaced and updated several times, most recently in 1997. It is one of three remaining ferries on the Willamette River. The ferry has room for six cars (or 75 tons) and a total passenger capacity of 49. A toll is charged for all crossings. As of July 2017, a passenger car costs $5.00, a motorcycle, bicycle, or pedestrian $3.00, and $30.00 is charged if a vehicle takes up the entire ferry. The vessel currently used, the ''M.J. Lee II'', is a cable-guided vessel powered by electricity with a voltage of 460 volt

provided by overhead lines and is guided across the river by an underwater cable in diameter, leaving the vessel relatively unaffected by the river's currents. The ferry is required by the Navigation Rules to display a day shape and, at night, certain lights that communicate to other vessels its (right-of-way) rights on navigable waters.US Dept of Transportation, United States Coast Guard "Navigation Rules, International-Inland", COMDTINST M16672.2D, Paradise Cay Publications, Arcata, California Because the ferry is guided by an underwater cable, and is fed electricity from an overhead cable, its ability to maneuver is restricted. Such vessels must display the day shape for restricted maneuverability which is a ball, diamond, and ball displayed vertically in the rigging. As the Canby Ferry is permanently with restricted maneuverability, the shipbuilders mounted a metal ball-diamond-ball on a mast. Before sunrise and after sunset, and during periods of restricted visibility, the ferry must display the red over white over red array of a vessel restricted in ability to maneuver. The ferry is named after Millard Jerome Lee, the first child born in Canby. Lee was born in 1872, two years after the town was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted in 1870. The vessel currently in use, ''M.J. Lee II'', has been providing the service since 1997. In 2013, operation of the ferry was suspended from January to July, to allow major maintenance work to be carried out. The work included retrofitting the vessel with a new propulsion equipment that is quieter and more energy-efficient – using less electricity – than previously.

References

External links

Canby Ferry information from Clackamas County Transportation Maintenance

1960 photo of Canby Ferry from Salem Public Library
{{Canby Ferries of Oregon Transportation in Clackamas County, Oregon Canby, Oregon Crossings of the Willamette River 1914 establishments in Oregon Cable ferries in the United States Trolley ferries

See also

References

External links