Buena Vista (Oregon) ferry retired, new boat comin

[Jody]

I just found out that the tiny little Buena Vista Ferry in central Oregon has closed down early for the season, marking the last run for the tiny little Buena Vista IV, which has been in service for 55 years on the Willamette River between the unincorporated community of Buena Vista on the west side of the river and the east side of the river a ways north of Albany. The little cable ferry is the only way to get across the river for 10+ miles in either direction. Here's a link to the notice that the ferry has shut down for the season: www.co.marion.or.us/PW/EmergencyManagement/closures/buenavista.htm

The ferry operates seasonally, and traditionally shuts down around the end of October. This represents an early shutdown, and in all likelyhood an unceremonious retirement for a boat that has been in service on the route since 1955. Last year, Marion County and the US DOT announced that the county had been awarded $3.2 million in ARRA funds to replace the aged ferry, upgrade the systems, and improve the landings on either side of the river. Included in the upgrade will be a change in the ferry's power delivery system from onboard diesel generator to overhead electrical feed. Right now, the Buena Vista ferry is the only one of the three remaining Willamette River cable ferries to use an onboard generator for power.

Here's a couple of links containing more information on the Buena Vista ferry upgrades: www.co.marion.or.us/PW/Administration/ferries/bvferryreplacement.htm and www.co.marion.or.us/NR/rdonlyres/3F838373-2676-470D-BC19-5285E8165155/24123/FinalAward.pdf

The retired ferry carries four cars, and its hull is essentially a barge with no hull penetrations – no props or rudder. All of the motors are hung off of the sides. There are three compartments in the hull – a crash compartment at each end, plus the center well. When I inquired last year, it had been decided that the new ferry will carry six cars instead of four. Not much else had been decided, and the new ferry may or may not have downriver cable as well.

The current ferry only uses and overhead upriver cable. Marion county also operates the Wheatland Ferry further north. That boat was replaced about five years ago, and the new boat included a downriver cable for further stability. In the case of the Buena Vista ferry, this may be helpful as well, as the river flows very strong a few feet off of the west terminal.

In honor of the retirement of my favorite Oregon ferry, I figured I'd share a few photos from my encounters with the tiny little system last summer.

First, a photo of the boat from the very first time I visited, on a very Oregon-like day in June of 2009. Though it's a relatively short trip (around 600 feet depending on water levels) the flow of the Willamette is fairly strong most of the year, and with spring runoff still going heavy, the Buena Vista is bending into its cable with vigor.


Here's a photo of the ferry from near the east landing.


From the west landing looking toward the east side. The river flows the strongest near the west landing, so the boat tends to take a very broad arc, approaching and departing the west side and a fairly steep angle. At this point, the boat is probably no more than 60 feet from shore.


My absolute favorite photo of the Buena Vista Ferry, taken from the east landing on an unusually calm early fall day. Both landings will be modified as part of the grant work. As you can see in this photo, the west landing is exceptionally steep.

[BreannaF]

Yesterday (14Sept2010), I found myself in a small town in the Willamette Valley of Oregon to visit an elderly client. I ended up a handful of miles away from the rural community of Buena Vista, and remembering the above recent post, was immediately happy that I usually have my camera with me. After a drive through some scenic rural area, I found the Buena Vista ferry landing and got out to see what I could see.

I never actually rode on it myself when it was going -- both ends really are in the middle of nowhere. I wasn't even sure if there would be anything to see. It turned out that there was.

Here it is, the lengthiest ferry report I've ever done for a ferry I never rode on:

Ferry fans never seem to let a gate stop them from their quest! (And there was nothing on the sign about not trespassing...)


Apparently one does pay the ferryman...


The entire ferry run is shown here, sans ferry, on a warm sunny day. Note the cable above.


Looking over to the right, the ferry was moored up against the trees. It looked pretty well intact, but there were no signs of recent use.


Closer view of the wheelhouse.


Closer view of the other side. Note the nifty lifeboat!


The Buena Vista Ferry in a sheltered corner of the river:


Just a slightly different angle.


The ferry seen next to the landing on the East side (Buena Vista side) of the river. A local was using the landing on the other side as a boat ramp.


Compared to the parts of the Willamette River that run through Portland and Eugene, this was probably the cleanest, calmest, and clearest section of the river I've ever seen. I might stop by again when the replacement ferry arrives, if nothing else, just to waste away a day of my life lounging in the nearby park.

[Jody]

Bryan,

Thanks for sharing your report! I'm amazed that the ferry is still sitting there rather unceremoniously. I guess I'm equally surprised that there doesn't seem to be any activity with the landings, etc. right now. Why shut the operation down early if work wasn't to commence immediately? Either way, I'll be excited to see if any further information comes to light soon.

In the mean time, I will continue my tribute to this unique and long-lived ferry with a few more photos.

First, a look from onboard the old ferry. If I recall, my old van was the only vehicle on the boat. Like all of the cable ferries in the state, the Buena Vista Ferry operates on demand - if traffic is waiting, the ferry runs. No traffic, no ferry. And on occasion, it's necessary to make a run empty to get a car or cars that are on the other side of the river.


Next, another look from onboard, looking downriver while the ferry runs west.


And finally, the ferry running at capacity with one truck onboard. Because of its location, the ferry does see a fair number of agricultural traffic.

[BreannaF]

Sadness today as an old woman died at the construction site for the Buena Vista ferry. This would be at the access on the East side of the river.

From KGW-TV in Portland:

Missing woman found dead in construction pit near Salem
by David Krough

Posted on February 3, 2011 at 4:09 PM

SALEM, Ore. -- Medical examiners were looking into how a 78-year-old woman died after her body was found at the bottom of a construction site pit Thursday.

The family of Joy M. Groh reported her missing after she left home in the afternoon. Groh suffered from the early stages of dementia and did not return home Wednesday night.

Marion County deputies were called to a construction site near the Buena Vista Ferry Thursday morning.

There they found Groh's car off the barricaded road in the mud.

Police think she become disoriented and tried to drive around the barricades, left her car and was ultimately found dead in the pit, about 50 yards away. The cause of her death has not yet been determined.

Workers had dug the large hole to connect a cable that guides the ferry across the river.

[Low Light Mike]

From my father's copy of the guidebook to the 1962 World's Fair:

[Jody]

I was in the area last week, and took a morning to meet up with a friend and ride/watch the new Buena Vista ferry in action. I have to admit that I was feeling a little maudlin over the old ferry. That said, it was obvious that the new boat was a step up for this low volume route. The operator that day had run both the Buena Vista and the Wheatland ferry, another Marion County operation a little further north. She said that the new boat was by far better than the Wheatland boat, which was upgraded around 2004.

This was my first view of the new Buena Vista, at the west landing of the river. The day started off cloudy. That would change.


In addition to the new boat, the Buena Vista operation got new landings, and completely overhauled towers, and a downriver cable. Come to think of it, the operation is pretty much completely brand-new. Flooding of the Willamette River in January and February not only shut the ferry down, but washed these reeds into the fence well above the water level for that day. The high water mark from the January floods is up around the platform on the tower. That's a mind-boggling amount of water.


The new boat, seen here on the much-improved east landing, was built by Diversified Marine in Portland. The old ferry was traded to Diversified, flat-decked, and is in use as a barge in Portland.


More photos to come.

Jody

[Jody]

More from the new ferry.

With a vintage tractor onboard, the ferry pulls away from the east shore. Over the course of a few hours, the ferry made about a dozen trips.


A short while later, the ferry returns with an eastbound car. It's kind of interesting to see the downriver cable springing out of the water as the boat reaches the shore. The new boat handles six cars, compared to four for the old boat.


One of my favorite views of the route, the ferry just bending into its cable as it reaches the current of the Willamette. The water is typically more still on the east side than they are on the west, where the channel is closer to shore. Of course, the view is not the same with the power trolley and the downriver cable.


My final view of the day was of the ferry running empty to pick up foot traffic on the west side of the river. The new boat runs on an electric Z-drive, has A/C in the operator's cabin, and its own restroom. (Previously, there had been a porta-potty on the west side.)


Hope you guys enjoyed this look at the new Buena Vista Ferry. The old one shall be missed, but the new boat is well-received. I am sorry to see that my favorite ferry has been retired, but glad that the route perseveres.

Jody