End of history seen
for Princeton ferry
PRINCETON 12/20/02 (YSN) -- The electric ferry which carried farmers and their crops across the Sacramento River for more than a century will be permanently abandoned in January, Colusa County Supervisor David Womble said Friday.
Colusa County on the west side of the river will relinquish its river rights-of-way so a recreational boat ramp on the east side in Glenn County and it can save an estimated $85,000 in annual operating costs, Womble said.
Meanwhile, preservationists would like to turn the 65-foot vessel -- once hailed in Ripley's Believe-It-Or-Not as the "only all-electric ferry in the world" -- into an historical monument.
"Everything was electric -- the motor the lights -- there was no internal combustion engine," said Womble
Until the state imposed vehicle weight limits in the early 1980s, the ferry also transported trucks and school buses, said Womble, who grew up on a farm near the eastern terminal of the ferry and went to school in Princeton on the western side.
Some have suggested putting the vessel in a park in the town of Colusa, but Womble believes it would be more appropriate to install it cross the street from the county library in Princeton on state Highway 45.
"It's the Princeton ferry, not the Colusa ferry," said Womble.
Colusa County is currently exploring state bond fund grants to pay for such a memorial, said Dale Wagerman, a Sacramento lobbyist helping in the search.
The site of the ferry landing on the western bank has been declared eligible for the National Registry of Historical Places, said Gene Itogawa, an historian with the state Office of Historical Preservation.
With the closest alternative routes over the river located 20 miles south and nine miles north of Princeton, the ferry provided farmers with a nautical shortcut for more than 140 years. Today, a bridge on Highway 162 is only a few minutes away by auto and pickup.
Princeton was once a busy riverport with hotels and mercantile services. Barley and wheat farmers in particular would barge their harvests from Princeton downriver to Sacramento and thence to the wider world, Womble said.
A lone crewman ran the ferry, which was powered by an electrical cable strung across the river. The original craft included a cabin and kitchen for the night watch.
In its heyday, the ferry carried some 150 vehicles a day. Its last recorded fare was 50 cents.
The ferry has been in dry-dock with a broken drive shaft for about five years, and it would cost an estimated $250,000 put it back in service, Womble said.
Few sentimental tears are being shed about the ferry's demise.
"If anyone should it would be me, and I don't, really. I realize the county could use the money for other things," Womble said.
for Princeton ferry
PRINCETON 12/20/02 (YSN) -- The electric ferry which carried farmers and their crops across the Sacramento River for more than a century will be permanently abandoned in January, Colusa County Supervisor David Womble said Friday.
Colusa County on the west side of the river will relinquish its river rights-of-way so a recreational boat ramp on the east side in Glenn County and it can save an estimated $85,000 in annual operating costs, Womble said.
Meanwhile, preservationists would like to turn the 65-foot vessel -- once hailed in Ripley's Believe-It-Or-Not as the "only all-electric ferry in the world" -- into an historical monument.
"Everything was electric -- the motor the lights -- there was no internal combustion engine," said Womble
Until the state imposed vehicle weight limits in the early 1980s, the ferry also transported trucks and school buses, said Womble, who grew up on a farm near the eastern terminal of the ferry and went to school in Princeton on the western side.
Some have suggested putting the vessel in a park in the town of Colusa, but Womble believes it would be more appropriate to install it cross the street from the county library in Princeton on state Highway 45.
"It's the Princeton ferry, not the Colusa ferry," said Womble.
Colusa County is currently exploring state bond fund grants to pay for such a memorial, said Dale Wagerman, a Sacramento lobbyist helping in the search.
The site of the ferry landing on the western bank has been declared eligible for the National Registry of Historical Places, said Gene Itogawa, an historian with the state Office of Historical Preservation.
With the closest alternative routes over the river located 20 miles south and nine miles north of Princeton, the ferry provided farmers with a nautical shortcut for more than 140 years. Today, a bridge on Highway 162 is only a few minutes away by auto and pickup.
Princeton was once a busy riverport with hotels and mercantile services. Barley and wheat farmers in particular would barge their harvests from Princeton downriver to Sacramento and thence to the wider world, Womble said.
A lone crewman ran the ferry, which was powered by an electrical cable strung across the river. The original craft included a cabin and kitchen for the night watch.
In its heyday, the ferry carried some 150 vehicles a day. Its last recorded fare was 50 cents.
The ferry has been in dry-dock with a broken drive shaft for about five years, and it would cost an estimated $250,000 put it back in service, Womble said.
Few sentimental tears are being shed about the ferry's demise.
"If anyone should it would be me, and I don't, really. I realize the county could use the money for other things," Womble said.
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