Ironton Ferry

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Ironton Ferry is a four-car cable ferry that crosses a narrow point on the South Arm of Lake Charlevoix in the U.S. State of Michigan at a place called Ironton. Ironton was a Pig Iron Factory town. The ferry runs between April and November. A prior captain of the ferry is listed in Ripley's Believe it or Not! for travelling 15,000 miles while never being more than 1/4 mile from his home over a period of years. The cost in recent times has risen to $3.00 each way.

Ironton is directly across from a parcel of land once owned by George R. Hemingway, uncle of renown author, Ernest Hemingway. "Uncle George" ran a tree farm on this property that includes a landmark on Lake Charlevoix, Hemingway Point. In Hemingway's, The Nick Adams Stories, the 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 passing.

There is a more recent collection of short stories about life in the area during the 1970's. My Summers On Hemingway Road, by Alicia Hein Cook, features original artwork of the Ironton Ferry on the cover. (see HemingwayRoad.com)

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 1970's.