"Talk on the Street"

    Do YOU believe in ferries?  Looking at this picture taken 50 years ago in the Lower Valley, we see that early settlers did!  And how else were they to get across the Snoqualmie River?  There were no bridges then, and, in fact, no real roads.  Only trails from clearing to clearing.
    The ferry shown here was operated by Mr. Maine, who lived on the (present) Harry Miller farm about this time.

    The overhead cable crossed the river high enough so that boats could pass by safely.  Two huge "blocks" ran on this cable, as can be seen (dimly) in the photo, and from these blocks ran shorter cables attached to each end of the ferry.  A windlass provided the necessary power to nose the craft into the current -- just enough for the current to pull (push?) the ferry across to the other side.  The ferry was a scow, with a deck, railings, and gang-way ends to allow passengers and teams to come aboard or go ashore easily.
    The only road to the valley those days came across the hill from Redmond.  It descended the hill near the Teegarden  farm and then headed east across the valley at the Marty house, to the river, then past the Owen farm, Sadlier farm, Wallace farm, around the bend in the river just opposite the present site of Duvall, past the Art Herman farm and down to the ferry landing and out the River Road.
    The first ferry in this vicinity was located where the new bridge crosses the river at Duvall.  The old approach can still be seen, cut into the hardpan on the east bank.  This ferry was in operation in the late 1800's.
    A team of mules drowned here at this ferry when they ran off one end of the craft, dragging a wagon behind them.

    A few years later, Leo Leyde owned and operated a ferry just below the present John Freeman place, south of town.  the county road at that time ran along the present power line across the valley, to the Marty home site on the hill.  Mr. Leyd's rates for crossing the river were: 15¢ per person, 25¢ for horse and rider, 50¢ for team, wagon and driver.
    He later sold this thriving business to Herb Leake, who lived on what is now the Judge Roney farm.  Mr. Leake moved the ferry down to the spot just below the present Dehydrator Plant -- to save commuting to the job, no doubt.

    The settlers living down at the end of the West River Road used a ferry operated by Tom Hopkins, who lived on the present H. J. Roetcisender farm.  This ferry crossed the river to the mouth of Cherry Creek, on the north side.
    The ferry crossing the Skykomish River for north-south bound travelers was located below the hill back of the present Reformatory, where the Snoqualmie and Skykomish rivers meet to form the Snohomish River.

    In a matter of a few years roads were built and, a long with them, bridges - - - and the old ferries were soon a thing of the past.