Lemsford and Estuary ferries will open soon
By Joan Janzen
joanjanzen@yahoo.com
The arrival of spring and warmer weather has inspired people to get out of their homes, venture outdoors, and do some yard work. Locals also anticipate a game of golf, going fishing, hiking and exploring some of the local tourist sites. One of the most popular places for people to visit in southwestern Saskatchewan is the Great Sandhills.
As of the beginning of April, Leader Tourism sent out a notification that the Sandhills are not accessible due to washed-out roads temporarily closed. Motorists are asked to respect the landowners and wait for an announcement stating that the road is ready for visitors once again.
Later this month, the ferries located at Estuary and Lemsford will also be running once again. Although the ferries are presently not running due to ice flows, Darryl Elsasser, head ferry operator, estimated the ferries would open around April 18th. “Most years, we push in between April 18th to 20th to open,” he said.
The Lemsford Ferry is one of twelve ferries in Saskatchewan. It’s a busy ferry, transporting about 10,000 cars and trucks each year. That’s a lot of trips across the river for a six-car capacity ferry.
When Saskatchewan became a province in 1905, the ferry service came under provincial jurisdiction. Before that time, there was a toll charged for crossing, but in 1912, ferry operators were put on a government salary, and there was no longer a fee charged for ferry crossings. The number of ferries peaked in 1926, with 47 ferries operating in the province. During the following years, many ferries were replaced by bridges as funding became available for higher traffic areas.
Another area that can be explored is the Lemsford Ferry Tipi Rings, a protected area covering 36 hectares of land on the northern edge of the South Saskatchewan River in the southwestern portion of Saskatchewan. There are at least 158 stone rings, 30 rock claims and a buffalo rubbing stone.
The Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport and Tourism Saskatchewan promotes a joint venture called the Saskatchewanderer program, an online program to influence people to discover Saskatchewan’s year-round travel exploits. However, everyone is free to become a Saskatchewan wanderer, and venture out, explore the Sandhills and take a ride on one of our local ferries.
Estuary Ferry. Photo courtesy of Tourism Saskatchewan.