Ironton Ferry
Encyclopedia
Ironton Ferry is a four-car cable ferry
that crosses a narrow point on the South Arm of Lake Charlevoix
in the U.S. State
of Michigan
in the town Ironton. The Ferry connects Ironton, a small village about 5 miles from Charlevoix, Michigan, to Boyne City, Michigan. Ironton was a Pig Iron
Factory town. The ferry runs between April and November. Captain Sam Alexander of the ferry is listed in Ripley's Believe it or Not! for travelling 15,000 miles while never being more than 1/4 mile from his home over a period of years. The automobile fare has risen to $3.25 each way.
Located directly adjacent to the ferry is a restaurant and marina called "The Landings." It is the only direct water access restaurant on Lake Charlevoix, and a hot spot for boats in the summer months.
Ironton is directly across from a parcel of land once owned by George R. Hemingway, uncle of renowned author Ernest Hemingway
. "Uncle George" ran a tree farm on this property that includes a landmark on Lake Charlevoix, Hemingway Point. In Hemingway's, The Nick Adams Stories, the point is where "Nick" was camping when he became frightened and fired rifle shots to signal his father and uncle who were out on the lake. This was confirmed by the author's first cousin, Margaret Hemingway Bundy, prior to her passing.
There is a more recent collection of short stories about life in the area during the 1970s. My Summers On Hemingway Road, by Alicia Hein Cook, features original artwork of the Ironton Ferry on the cover.
(see HemingwayRoad.com)
The Ironton Ferry has been captured by many artists, both amateur and professional. Among these are Leland Beaman, an accomplished Michigan artist, who painted the Ironton Ferry in watercolor prior to the landing and onboard gates being electrified in the late 1970s.
Cable ferry
A cable ferry is guided and in many cases propelled across a river or other larger body of water by cables connected to both shores. They are also called chain ferries, floating bridges, or punts....
that crosses a narrow point on the South Arm of Lake Charlevoix
Lake Charlevoix
Lake Charlevoix is a lake in Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the third largest lake in the state with a surface area of over 17,200 acres and 56 miles of shoreline...
in the U.S. State
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
in the town Ironton. The Ferry connects Ironton, a small village about 5 miles from Charlevoix, Michigan, to Boyne City, Michigan. Ironton was a Pig Iron
Pig iron
Pig iron is the intermediate product of smelting iron ore with a high-carbon fuel such as coke, usually with limestone as a flux. Charcoal and anthracite have also been used as fuel...
Factory town. The ferry runs between April and November. Captain Sam Alexander of the ferry is listed in Ripley's Believe it or Not! for travelling 15,000 miles while never being more than 1/4 mile from his home over a period of years. The automobile fare has risen to $3.25 each way.
Located directly adjacent to the ferry is a restaurant and marina called "The Landings." It is the only direct water access restaurant on Lake Charlevoix, and a hot spot for boats in the summer months.
Ironton is directly across from a parcel of land once owned by George R. Hemingway, uncle of renowned author Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
. "Uncle George" ran a tree farm on this property that includes a landmark on Lake Charlevoix, Hemingway Point. In Hemingway's, The Nick Adams Stories, the point is where "Nick" was camping when he became frightened and fired rifle shots to signal his father and uncle who were out on the lake. This was confirmed by the author's first cousin, Margaret Hemingway Bundy, prior to her passing.
There is a more recent collection of short stories about life in the area during the 1970s. My Summers On Hemingway Road, by Alicia Hein Cook, features original artwork of the Ironton Ferry on the cover.
(see HemingwayRoad.com)
The Ironton Ferry has been captured by many artists, both amateur and professional. Among these are Leland Beaman, an accomplished Michigan artist, who painted the Ironton Ferry in watercolor prior to the landing and onboard gates being electrified in the late 1970s.