Oregon Historic Landmarks: Willamette Valley

by Daughters of the American Revolution. Oregon Society

Wheatland Ferry crossed the Willamette River at a very historical pioneer spot. Jason Lee chose the location for the first Methodist Mission of the valley, a short distance south of the village of Wheatland on the east side of the river. There were no roads, so traveling was by water or horse-back, and the first river crossings were in Indian canoes, with often a horse swimming behind.

In 1837, David Leslie came to help at the Mission, bringing his wife and three daughters. They lived in a log cabin on the west side of the river and crossed to the Mission. By 1840 two more daughters were born. They were the first white children born in Yamhill County. In 1843, Daniel Matheny crossed the plains and took up a donation land claim reaching the river at Wheatland. His family operated a ferry across the river for many years, beginning in flat bottom skiffs, and later with a flat boat for wagons.

Here is a story of pioneer days. Matheny’s oldest son was told by his mother that he was too big to go to Camp Meeting without shoes, so he would have to stay home. This was a sad situation as Camp Meeting was the social event of the year. An Indian woman came to the river and signaled for him to come over to take her across. When he reached her he saw her moccasins and began to bargain for them. At first she shook her head, and he began to empty his pockets. At last she consented and he ran home waving his moccasins.

The land around Wheatland was settled rapidly in the 1840’s, and as wheat was the main export, a warehouse and boat landing were built a quarter of a mile south of the ferry by Miles Hendrick. Wheat was raised on both sides of the river. There is no high ground on the east side of the Willamette river for buildings or boat landings. The first warehouse was built a mile south of Wheatland on a bluff near the west bank of the Willamette river. It went out in the 1890 flood. The other one was built about a quarter of a mile north of Wheatland. After harvest the ferry was busy bringing wheat from across the river to the warehouse to be shipped on river boats.

I remember the ferry in the late 1890’s. It was a thrill to cross the river on it; but as the charge was twenty-five cents one way and forty cents round trip, we didn’t cross often. As children, my cousin and I used to go down and ride across free when the ferry man was taking a wagon. He never refused us and no child drowned from the ferry at that early day.

After the Matheny family moved away, the ferry was owned by John Isham, Bill Isham, Dick Wood, and Lane Davidson. While Davidson ran it, a new ferry boat was built. In the early 1930’s, Clyde Lafollette bought the ferry and built a cabin on the ferry so that his son, Clarence, could sleep there and be ready to take late travelers across. There were current boards on the ferry that made the river current help push it across. If the current wasn’t strong enough, the operator had to help with his own strength. Later Mr. Lafollette put a gasoline engine on the ferry to help while the river was low in the summer time.

In 1937, the communities on each side of the river, backed by Clyde Lafollette, began pressing for a free ferry supported by the two counties it connected. Yamhill and Marion counties took over the ferry that year, hiring two men to run it and keeping it open from six a.m. until five p.m. They installed a new gasoline ferry and, of course, ferry travel increased.

Tom Bowden, who is still working on the ferry, began operating the gasoline ferry in 1940. Other helpers have been Roy Lafollette, George Frauendeiner, Frank Hersha, and Frank’s son, Erwin Hersha is the second operator at the present time. There have been two drownings near the ferry on the Wheatland side; Jackie Worthington in 1941 and Sonny Lindsey in 1947. Both were in their early teens and could swim a little. In 1947, a new electric ferry was built that could handle six cars at a crossing, and in the summer time it was often kept busy. In 1959, the present ferry was purchased. It is an all-steel electric one and handles six large cars.

The Wheatland Ferry is one of the few remaining on the Willamette River. In crossing it, you get a wonderful view both up and down the Willamette. If you enjoy the romance of a ferry, do come and cross the Beautiful Willamette on the Wheatland Ferry.