1913: The subsidized reaction ferry was installed[1] to handle traffic generated by the arrival of the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (GTP). The huge ice flows made a rowboat ferry impossible during the changes of season. Consequently, a hand-operated basket-type aerial passenger ferry was rigged between the ferry towers, which proved unsuitable because the 240-metre (800 ft) wire rope sagged, creating a steep upward climb to the opposite shore. Instead, a footbridge was suspended from the ferry traveller cable.[2]
1916: The Skeena rose 1.5 metres (5 ft) and took out bridge. The rebuilt shorter bridge proved satisfactory.[2]
1917: The cable snapped, setting the scow adrift until grounding near the Kitselas Canyon, where the passengers escaped. The operator lost two fingers.[3]
1920–21: A new 13.6-tonne; 13.4-long-ton (15-short-ton) ferry was built.[4]
1927–28: The towers were rebuilt, concrete anchorages added, and the cable replaced.[6]
1935–36: A new 4.5-tonne; 4.5-long-ton (5-short-ton) ferry was installed.[7]
1936: Snags and debris rushing down the swollen river snapped the main cable, breaking loose the ferry, which drifted to near the head of Kitselas Canyon.[8][9]
1948: The superstructure of a 9.1-tonne; 8.9-long-ton (10-short-ton) ferry was renewed[10] to provide a steel replacement for the former wooden ferry.[11] New towers were built and a new cable installed.[12]
1967: An aerial cage capable of carrying an operator and three adult passengers commenced for the wintertime.[14] This basket-type aerial passenger ferry used the existing ferry cable.[15]
1968: A man drowned following an accident at the ferry.[16]
1974: The introduction of a double shift extended daily hours.[17]
1977–78: Separate towers were erected for the aerial and reaction ferries.[18]
1980–81: The aerial ferry motor was moved from the side of the car to the bottom. A new reaction ferry with longer pontoons was constructed.[19]
1990: Serious complaints regarding the ferry workers were investigated and corrective action taken.[20] At this time, the two-vehicle, 12-passenger ferry operated 14 hours daily.[21]
2002: Service reduced from 18 to 17 hours daily.[22]
2004: Nechako Northcoast Construction (NNC) became the service contractor.[23]
2013: A commemorative plaque celebrating the centenary was unveiled.[24]
At some point, the winter suspension bridge was discontinued. During the 1950s and 1960s, a rowboat was used instead.[27] When the ice thickness was sufficient, an ice crossing served pedestrians.[28] This was sometimes little more than planks laid across the ice and a small shallow boat travelling the gap in the middle.[29]
The ferry service is under contract to the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI) and is free of tolls, as are all inland ferries in British Columbia.[30] Emil Anderson Maintenance operates the five- to seven-minute crossing, which runs from 6:45 am until 11:15 pm, with three scheduled breaks. The ferry has a capacity for two vehicles (or one vehicle combination up to 12 metres (39 ft)) and 12 passengers.[31]
^"Terrace Standard". www.terracestandard.com. 9 Jul 2014. "Terrace Standard". www.newspapers.com. 6 Dec 2018. p. A8. The town of North Usk…reaction ferry service but have been depending more heavily on the aerial cable car instead. Both services are on-demand and operated by Nechako Northcoast…
^"Terrace Standard". www.newspapers.com. 30 Jul 2020. p. A13. …highways road and bridge maintenance contractor Nechako Northcoast has been sold to Emil Anderson…
