Deception Pass ferry

Deception Pass Ferry

Motor ferry Deception Pass.
Waterway Deception Pass
Transit type 5 minutes
Ended operation 1935
Successor Deception Pass Bridge
Frequency hourly, 7:30 am to 7:30 pm.

The Deception Pass ferry was a ferry route in Washington State that ran between Fidalgo Island and Whidbey Island across Deception Pass.

History

From 1924 to 1935, the route was run by Berte H. Olson (1882-1959), and her husband, O.A. Olson, who held a state highway contract. Berte Olson was the first woman to hold a ferry captain's license in Washington state.[1]

The Olsons had a ferry built specifically for the route. This was the Deception Pass, 68.8 ft (20.97 m) long by 24 ft (7.32 m) beam, constructed by the Ballard Marine Yard in June, 1924. The fee for car and driver was 50 cents, with 10 cents additional for every extra passenger, with "extra large" cars paying 75 cents. Service was hourly, and the transit time was only five minutes. Patrons were cautioned that the schedule was "subject to storms, breakdowns, and conditions beyond our control."[1]

Discontinuation

The route was discontinued when the Deception Pass Bridge was completed in 1935.[1] For years, Berte Olson fought a political struggle against the bridge, even persuading Governor Roland Hartley to veto a funding bill that had been unanimously passed by the Washington State legislature in 1929. Eventually she was defeated, but she became known as a strong-willed person.[2]

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Kline and Bayless, Ferryboats – A Legend on Puget Sound, at pages 147-48, 337 and 361.
  2. ↑ Long, Priscella, Deception Pass and Canoe Pass bridges are dedicated on July 31, 1935.HistoryLink.org Essay 5698, May 5, 2004

References