The Port Huron Carferry: crossing the St. Clair River

The Port Huron Carferry: crossing the St. Clair River. . , The St. Clair River's narrow and swift current at this point made it an ideal location for a crossing., In the late 1800s, railroads crossed the region east from New York and Ontario and west from Wisconsin and Chicago. The St. Clair River posed an obstacle to trains. Building a bridge during that time would have blocked shipping, so was deemed unfeasible., Lake Huron empties into the St. Clair River, creating a strong current. The fast-moving, churning water does not freeze over in the winter. Additionally, the river is only 300 yards across here, providing a good year-round crossing., The Pere Marquette/C and O railroad carferry was developed in 1903. Ferries carried railroad cars from this point until 1933. During the Great Depression, reduced demand led to the ferry's abandonment. The ferry boats were relocated to the Detroit-Windsor crossing., The year 1950 brought the Dow Chemical plant to Sarnia. Increased rail traffic between Sarnia and Dow's plant in Midland resulted in the reopening of the carferry service. This service continued until 1994 when the ferry dock was abandoned. In 2013, the Community Foundation began the restoration that you see today., How It Works , The deck of the ship includes railroad tracks and access doors from either direction. The "apron", whose remains are still seen here, had a ramp with tracks that connected with those on the ferry., As a railroad crossing, there is no point on the great chain of lakes that presents better advantages than Port Huron. , -A. T. Andreas, History of St. Clair County, 1883