The Long Way
RDCK Electoral Area K (Regional District of Central Kootenay) County
A winding highway curves past a forested hillside toward a body of water.
Plate I. Highway approach to Needles Cable Ferry landing. From www2.gov.bc.ca
A cable ferry is docked at the shore with a vehicle on board.
Plate II. Needles Cable Ferry on Lower Arrow Lake. From www2.gov.bc.ca
A ferry boat travels across a calm body of water with forested hills in the background.
Plate III. Needles Cable Ferry crossing Lower Arrow Lake. Photograph by niftyniall ( en:User:Niftyniall ), CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
An outdoor security camera view of a curving roadway through a forest.
Plate IV. Ferry landing lineup, Needles Cable Ferry. From www2.gov.bc.ca
A view of a ferry terminal leading to a body of water with hills in the background.
Plate V. Ferry landing, Needles Cable Ferry. From www2.gov.bc.ca
A historic black and white photograph of a ferry docked at a wooden pier.
Plate VI. Ferry boat, Needles Cable Ferry. From alhs-archives.com
A view of a lake and mountains from a boat ramp with a vehicle parked nearby.
Plate VII. Ferry landing, Needles Cable Ferry. From www2.gov.bc.ca
Vehicles driving on a road near a body of water.
Plate VIII. Ferry landing lineup, Needles Cable Ferry. From www2.gov.bc.ca

Needles Cable Ferry

Fauquier, RDCK Electoral Area K (Regional District of Central Kootenay) County, British Columbia. Cable ferry.

Details

Where
Fauquier, RDCK Electoral Area K (Regional District of Central Kootenay) County, BC. No street address stated. Directions
When
Every 30 minutes from Fauquier 5 am to 10 pm, from Needles 5:15 am to 9:45 pm; on demand 10 pm to 5 am.
Getting there
About 59 kilometres south of Nakusp on Highway 6.
Fees
Free of charge.
Access
Ferry capacity is 40 vehicles and 135 passengers. The maximum load capacity of the vessel is 276,000 kg.
Phone
Office 250-265-2105
Website
arrowlakeferry.com
Managed by
WaterBridge Ferries Inc.
Established
1931.

Runs across the Lower Arrow Lake, about 59 kilometres south of Nakusp on Highway 6, between Fauquier (east side) and Needles (west side).

Notable Events

  1. 1922The Arrow Lakes News called the crude raft run by an enterprising rancher at Fauquier inadequate and even dangerous, especially for heavy cars. klopp-family.com
  2. 1931A new Needles-Fauquier cable ferry started mid-summer in 1931. alhs-archives.com
  3. 1967With the valley flooded by the dam near Castlegar, the planned Fauquier bridge proved too expensive and the government promised free 24-hour ferry service. klopp-family.com
  4. 2003Late in 2003 the British Columbia Ministry of Transportation began to explore a fixed link for Fauquier and Needles, a bridge design competition. tac-atc.ca

People

  • Claude Rollins, Ferryman on the new Needles-Fauquier cable ferry (1931 or later).
  • Walter Reid, Ferryman on the new Needles-Fauquier cable ferry (1931 or later).
  • Mr. Kendrik, Fauquier rancher who ferried autoists across the lake before the government ferry.

Sources

  1. commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Needles_Cable_Ferry.jpg
  2. facebook.com/100057526627647
  3. www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/passenger-travel/water-travel/inland-ferries/needles-cable-ferry
  4. www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/transportation/passenger-travel/water-travel/inland-ferries
  5. www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/driving-and-transportation/passenger/inland-ferries/pdf/inlandferryservices_brochure.pdf
  6. rdck.ca/environmental-services/water/rdck-water-systems/fauquier-water-system
  7. klopp-family.com/2015/06/09/short-history-of-the-fauquier-needles-ferry
  8. alhs-archives.com/document/2014-003-3331-new-needles-ferry-cable-started-mid-summer-in-1931
  9. tac-atc.ca/wp-content/uploads/furtado.pdf