Ironton Ferry is a four-car

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 ...

that crosses a narrow point on the South Arm of

Lake Charlevoix Lake Charlevoix ( ) is a lake in Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the third largest inland lake in the state with a surface area of over and of shoreline. The maximum depth in the main basin is and in the south arm, . T ...

in the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

in the unincorporated community of Ironton. The ferry connects Ironton, located about from

Charlevoix Charlevoix ( , ) is a cultural and natural region in Quebec, on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River as well as in the Laurentian Mountains area of the Canadian Shield. This dramatic landscape includes rolling terrain, fjords, headlands ...

, to Boyne City. The ferry runs between April and November. The automobile fare has risen to $5.00 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 good used by the iron industry in the production of steel. It is developed by smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. Pig iron has a high carbon content, typically 3.8–4.7%, along with si ...

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 Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...

. 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. 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!'' 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

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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 in Charlevoix County Ferries of Michigan