The Ferry

Menors Ferry Replica

Quick Facts

Amenities

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Wheelchair Accessible, Information

Menors Ferry is a simple platform set on two pontoons known as a "reaction ferry." A cable system keeps the ferry from floating downstream, but lets it move sideways. By turning the pilot wheel, the rope tightens on one side of the pulleys and loosens on the other rotating the ferry. When the captain angles the ferry toward the opposite bank, the pressure of the current against the pontoons pushes the ferry across the river. This type of ferry existed in ancient times and was used elsewhere in the United States.

Menor charged 50 cents for a wagon and team and 25 cents for a rider and horse. Pedestrians road free if a wagon was crossing. When the water was too low for the ferry, Menor suspended a platform from the pulley, and three to four passengers could ride a primitive cablecar across the river. In later years, Menor and his neighbors built a bridge for winter use, dismantling it each spring.