Oregon Sweet Oregon; Ferryboats

[Guest] I can remember crossing the Wheatland Ferry when you had a cable and everybody had a paddle that was on this cable and it had a hole in it. The handle's what it was then you'd slide it up and then you'd pull on it. Then everybody got out to help move the ferry across. [music] I'm thinking now of a beautiful Land: Oregon, Oregon, with rivers, and valleys, and mountains grand. [Host] As we look forward to the 21st century, wondering what the future holds, one cannot help but ask, "What are we leaving behind?" [music in background] In this five-part series we reflect on one of the last ferry boats in Oregon. We'll travel to Oregon's oldest covered bridge, find ourselves in a lighthouse, walk Oregon's last logging railroad, and visit a town with a population of one. Come along as we explore Oregon, sweet Oregon, its fading traditions.

In part one of the series we find the oldest of the last three Willamette River ferries, dubbed the Daniel Mafini II after the homesteader who launched his ferry in 1844 before Oregon was even a state. [Guest] All travel and concentration was by trails and easy access by water. Oregon historian, Maurice Bullard reflects. [Guest] Nobody went very far because there weren't roads, through roads and the like, and so it was little settlements. [Host] Located along the Willamette River just 13 miles out of Salem, Atchinson, bustling with the activity of farmers and ranchers, became a major shipping point for wheat. [sound of horses] They had the docks on the west side of the river that the steam boats used to come in and pick up grain. There used to be a

big grist mill there to make flour. The town's name soon changed to Wheatland. Aside from wheat, oats and barley were hauled, and the ferry became an integral part of the community. [Guest] I needed an operator and I was young and hadn't gone out on my own yet. Senior ferry operator, Tom Bowden, spent 36 years on what became known as the Wheatland Ferry. [Guest] He asked me if I wanted an unusual job. Called me on the telephone one day, and I said "Certainly, what is it?" And back in those days I was crossin' the boat a lot. I had a girlfriend on that side of the river! [laughs] Yeah. [Host] While crossing the Willamette over the years, Tom Bowden has witnessed a change in traffic from sheep and horses and farmers with grain-filled wagons to commuters,

bicyclists, and families on a day's outing. And although quite different, farmers still haul equipment back and forth. The ferry has changed, too. It's no longer wooden. [Guest] It's all metal. The ferry is all metal. Makes her a lot better. It's noisy but it makes for a lot better upkeep. [Host] When the gate goes down, cars roll over it either to exit slowly or to find a safe spot for passage. Passengers and bicyclists scurry on and when all are aboard the gate goes up enclosing everyone. All is quiet now as car motors stop. The ferry is underway. Sixty feet long and 24 feet wide with 18 foot aprons, or gates as the operators call them, this ferry is the largest piece of equipment in the county.

[Guest] There's a lot of responsibility down here and a lot more than what it maybe looks like. [Host] Senior ferry operator Irvin Kershaw is the 3rd generation to work the ferry. His grandfather was once an owner back around 1916. Now it's owned by Marion and Yamhill Counties and all operators must have a license issued by the US Coast Guard. [Guest] So there's a lot of responsibility and of course you've also got, you know, the safety of everybody and all that. [Host] Irv has worked the ferry 31 and a half years now. A striking man. With salt and pepper hair, ?tossed? between his wire-rimmed glasses. He offers a smile for everyone and has the gift of banter. [Guest] I would go out of my way to be a little more lenient [engine noises] than to be so stern all the time. The other guys are a little bit - [Voice] How much for a round-trip today? [Guest] How much you got? [Voice] I don't know... [Laughter] [Guest] Well, we'll get you halfway and make [engine noises] [Voice] It looks like I will make a decision somewhere out.

Looks like a [unintelligible] to me anyways. [Voice 2][inaudible] I find down here people will treat you different here than they will somewhere else. 'Cause down here is kind of a little... A lot of them are fascinated and it's kind of a nice little break from the drive and you know, you talk and things. [Host] And people really do like to ride the ferry. [Passenger] Then I like to come out on weekends sometimes and ride the ferry. [background noise] My daughters has never seen the ferry before, you never rode the ferry, which I bring them over on the ferry and they like to ride it and look overboard to see. It's quite fascinating. It's something different. [Host] The river's banks are lush with trees and bushes. The water, dark green. And although of a different time and place, crossing on the ferry calls to mind the escapades of Huck Finn on his raft. [Music] [Man] It's really nice and I've, I've seen, you know, beavers up and down here and like

[Man] This morning I was telling about the big crane. It had a [inaudible] [inaudible] Grand Island down there for [inaudible] [Music, words of song] Rivers, valleys... [Man] Kinda nice. [Music, words of song] Oregon, sweet Oregon. [Man] It's a really nice night, all the stars are [Man] [inaudible] stars are out. Shut all the lights off, it's just really quiet. [Music] It's a calming place for operator Mark Swanson and for all who take the drive to the ferry. The area's wheat fields have been replaced by ?hop? yards of cherry trees, walnut and filberts. A large park lights the west bank. But what about the ferry? Will it be replaced? [background noise] [Guest] Then what it has become now is like an old covered bridge somewhere, you know. It's not very practical anymore but nobody wants to get rid of it. [inaudible]

There'd be a history to it, you might say, and it should be kept going for that alone. I think there'll always be a ferry there. [Music, words of song] Oregon, sweet Oregon, my native home, I long for thee. [Woman] When I arrived the day of the storm and I saw the bridge sitting in the water. They're

getting really old and things need to be done with them now and we've got to do it now, I mean now, immediately. It's not 10 years down the road because by then we'll have lost a lot more. [Music, words of song] I'm thinking now of a beautiful land, Oregon, Oregon. With rivers and valleys and mountains grand. Oregon, sweet Oregon. From the mountains' high peaks [music]Covered with snow. With. [music] Which I'm never on tour again. [Host] As we look forward to the 21st century wondering what the future holds one cannot help but ask what are we leaving behind. In this five part series we cross the river on one of Oregon's last ferries. We will find ourselves in a

lighthouse, will walk Oregon's last logging railroad, and visit a town with a population of one. Come explore with us Oregon sweet Oregon. Its fading tradition. [music] In part two of our series we discuss Oregon's covered bridges, perhaps the most well-known disappearing tradition we know of today. At one time there were over 450 covered bridges in the state. They aided travelers in the crossing of rivers and streams. Today, Oregon serves as home for only 48 bridges. The fate of these quiet giants rests in the hands of the state, the counties, and the few individuals who belong to the Covered Bridge Society of Oregon. [Woman] We're from all walks of life and we have one common goal and that's to save Oregon's covered bridges. [Host] The president of this active society, Sharon Evans, first learned of Oregon's covered bridges in 1981.

[Evans] There was something about them when I first saw them that I was hooked, and I've just been going ever since because most of them are around 50 years old or older and that's the replacement point because they are made of wood. They were covered because they would last three to five times longer in our - Oregon. We have such a high moisture content here in Oregon and they lasted a lot longer if they were covered. And in the old days a lot of them were a place for meetings, for town meetings, and dances, and you know, in the old days, you know, if you were on your horse and buggy and traveling and a rainstorm came out, you saw a bridge up ahead, you'd get in the bridge and wait out the storm. And actually the height of the bridges was determined by the wagon loads going through. [Bird chirping] [Host] Let's visit the Upper Drift Creek Bridge. Located in Lincoln County it's the covered bridge closest to Oregon's coast. It's also Oregon's oldest bridge, built in 1914. Drift Creek humbly flows by, and trees have made their way down to its banks. Like silent friends they seem to whisper in the presence of a stranger. But it's only a spring breeze. In a sad

way the bridge plays witness to the daily traffic on the cement bridge only yards away. [Woman] This - this has been bypassed since the mid 60's and there used to be, well there was a town here. There were several different towns here at one time. There was a town of Ludkins back in - shortly after the bridge was built and it was changed to the town of Nice and then the post office closed here in 1919 and This probably at one time was one of the main routes from Lincoln City. You know, on the main - the main highway. And this bridge is a Howe truss. And the Howe truss was the most popular truss used because it had diagonal... If you notice the diagonals inside and then the iron rod supporting them, that was the most economical way to build a truss. That was the most economical truss and over a period of time. And then it has rounded portals. You notice that on

each side and has cedar shingles. And one thing about all Lincoln County's bridges, they are all painted with this color which is called a barn paint red, and then you also have the flare sides. And this is made out of Douglas fir which has been real common. Fir and alder have been real common uses of covered bridges, of course, that's abundance of them in Oregon of their trees. Construction work on the bridge you don't even see anymore, or the timbers along - the big tall trees you just don't see that kind of timber anymore. And a lot of the covered bridges like I said in the old days were toll bridges and they had these doors that came across. But this one probably wasn't, but they still had the basic design like the old bridges that you had to pay a toll to go across the bridge. And they would you know, like close the gates. Well, that just kind of stayed in the basic design since that time, and all of them tend to have that. But I found that no two bridges are really alike. They all have their unique characteristic in the setting

that they're in and and they each have a kind of a different shape and size and there's different colors. Well basically they're either white or red and then the current bridge I've seen is kind of is white with red siding. But those are the basic colors that they are and I think the reason though they were that color is because they were in a foreign country and they kind of tended to, you know, fit in with the barns the old houses so they just blended into the landscape. [Host] Apparently when a bridge is bypassed it's considered the slow kiss of death. [Woman] Well, it was about a year ago that the county had called me and said they inspected this bridge and found that especially in that northeast, under the northeast portal on that north east side that it was really, you know, rotten and you can even see it here. But the one thing about it that we found is when a bridge has been bypassed by a cement bridge it just kind of dies a slow death because then it's taken off the road department funds and they don't have any regular inspections on it. [Host] The last inspection was 12 years prior. Not having vehicles on it since the 60's it became a pedestrian bridge. But due to its condition it had

to shut off to all types of traffic. [Woman] Well there was talk about destroying this bridge, and I said you can't destroy this bridge, it's the oldest bridge in the state of Oregon still standing and the only one the closest to the Pacific Ocean. And I said it's been bypassed. This area could be a great park. I said there's surely something you can do. Well, Meanwhile, I've been working on this study that we're in the process of trying to get Senate Bill 236 passed, and that involves getting the state to do kind of a 50/50 match program with the counties and private individuals to save the bridges, which is still, we're still trying to get through Ways and Means. I mean, we're still in the working stage. And I told them, I said, I'm working on the study which at that time was in 1988, and I said in early 1989 we're going to the legislature and I said we're trying to get some kind of money for this bridge and I said if if we can work out some kind of deal, because they were worried about the bridge falling into the river. So I talked them into putting... They figured out what it was going to cost to destroy the bridge so I got them to spend that money and put these temporary supports in the bridge instead of destroying it until we could get some kind of

funding. [Host] Each bridge is in a different stage of deterioration. All need an active maintenance program. A few will have to be moved to new locations and reconstructed. [Woman] They mark each piece because they have - 'cause like you have your roof and your Howe truss and your floorboards. And each piece that can be salvaged is marked. Usually your siding and stuff has to be redone because that tends to be... Oh, and then the roof tends to be highly damaged over a period of time. But that can't be salvaged. But usually they can salvage the main truss and a lot of the floor beams. I was out at Chitwood all the time when it was going up and I'd go out there practically daily and see the progress especially towards the end when they were putting...I saw them putting, taking a big paintbrush rolling on the side, putting the finishing touches on the bridge like two days before the dedication. I was talking to some of the school kids. They were talking about, you know, is it like a house sitting on the

water? And I said yeah that's kind of a basic thing. and someone said well how are they built? I said well you know they have a foundation and you know it's some of the same characteristics like building a house. You have to start with the foundation and work its way up. [Host] At this time Oregon has the largest collection of covered bridges west of the Mississippi. [Woman] We want to try to see the ones last rebuilt and ?capsule? that future generations can see them and enjoy them too and not just look at a history book: oh there was a covered bridge. [Host] The struggle continues in an age when traditions are slipping away. [Woman] To me they're, you know, they're really unique. They're something that you just don't see every day. They're kind of from a bygone era. But if we can bridge the bygone era with the future, you know they still have their purpose. I come up to it and I kind of almost kind of talk to the bridge: "I'm trying my best to help you."