By TERRY PUGH
The Clarkboro Ferry is back in business.
The cable ferry hit the water on Wednesday, April 23. According to the Ministry of Highways website, it was officially launched for its 59th season on April 24.
The busiest of the Saskatchewan Ministry of Highways’ (MHI) 12 ferries in the province, the Clarkboro Ferry carries more than 70,000 vehicles annually across the South Saskatchewan River between Warman and Aberdeen.
The ferries, as well as the MHI’s Wollaston Lake barge in northern Saskatchewan, typically operate from April to November, but operations are dependent on weather, river levels and ice conditions.
The Clarkboro Ferry was built by the Dominion Bridge Company and was first put into operation in 1967.
The Clarkboro Ferry is named for the community of Clarkboro, located southeast of the ferry’s eastern terminal. The former town of Clarkboro was home to a section crew on the CNR, had a post office, a general store, a railroad siding, a water tower for steam locomotives and two grain elevators. A historic plaque in the RM of Aberdeen marks the location of the former community.
Both Clarkboro and Clark’s Crossing – another former community on the west side of the river located between Highway 11 and Highway 12 – are named for John Fowler Clark, who homesteaded in the area in 1882.
The Clarkboro Ferry is 18.2 meters (60 feet) in length, 6 meters (20 feet) in width, and weighs a total of 31,500 kilograms (69,400 pounds).
It is regularly inspected and repaired as necessary every spring before it is put into service. While there is still considerable ice along the riverbanks, the river itself is free of ice floes. MHI ferry operators monitor the condition of the ice, but don’t expect any difficulties since warm temperatures are forecasted for the coming weeks.
The Hague and St. Laurent Ferries, located downstream from Clarkboro, are expected to begin operations soon. The Hague Ferry was built in 1972 by the Dominion Bridge Company, and the St. Laurent Ferry was built in 1971 by Fabco Ltd.