Ironton Ferry is a four-car
cable ferry that crosses a narrow point on the South Arm of
Lake Charlevoix in the U.S. state of
Michigan in the unincorporated community of
Ironton. The ferry connects Ironton, located about from
Charlevoix, to
Boyne City.
The ferry runs between April and November. The automobile fare has risen to $3.00 each way.
History
The Ironton ferry began operation in 1876. At first, the operator took individual passengers across Lake Charlevoix in a rowboat. After about four years, the rowboat was replaced by a ferry that was powered by horses. Ironton became a
pig iron
Pig iron, also known as crude iron, is an intermediate product of the iron industry in the production of steel which is obtained by smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. Pig iron has a high carbon content, typically 3.8–4.7%, along with silic ...
factory town when the
Pine Lake Iron Co. opened in 1879.
In popular culture
Hemingway references
Ironton is directly across from a parcel of land once owned by George R. Hemingway, uncle of renowned author
Ernest Hemingway. While Hemingway spent summers at
his parents' cottage in Walloon Lake from 1900 to the 1920s, he also spent time near
Horton Bay and across Lake Charlevoix at the tree farm of his Uncle George. This tree farm on Lake Charlevoix was at the south landing of the ferry and is known as
Hemingway Point
Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...
. In Hemingway's ''The Nick Adams Stories'', the Hemingway point is where Nick was camping when he became frightened and fired rifle shots to signal his father and uncle who were out on the lake. This was confirmed by the author's first cousin, Margaret Hemingway Bundy, prior to her death.
''Ripley's Believe it or Not''
The ferry acquired nationwide fame in 1936, when ''
Ripley's Believe it or Not!
''Ripley's Believe It or Not!'' is an American franchise founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims. Originally a newspaper panel, the ''Believe It or Not'' feat ...
'' listed Ironton Ferry Captain Sam Alexander for travelling while never being more than from his home. Alexander piloted the ferry from 1900 until his death in 1948.
Other art
There is a more recent collection of short stories about life in the area during the 1970s. ''My Summers On Hemingway Road'', by Alicia Hein Cook, features original artwork of the Ironton Ferry on the cover.
The Ironton Ferry has been captured by many artists, both amateur and professional. Among these are Leland Beaman, an accomplished Michigan artist, who painted the Ironton Ferry in watercolor prior to the landing and onboard gates being electrified in the late 1970s.
References
External links
Ironton Ferry official website
Transportation in Charlevoix County, Michigan
Cable ferries in the United States
1876 establishments in Michigan
Michigan State Historic Sites
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