SINK OR SWIM
Almost every trip on each of the three little ferries is accomplished very routinely. Mishaps are so rare that they stand out as remarkable stories. From the many tales of adventure collected for the video, here are two that I think you'll enjoy.
Russ' cows sink the ferryI Sunk The Ferry

"I sunk [the Carter ferry] with a load of cows quite a while ago, and the water was high. That was a little … exciting, because [the ferry] tipped over, the truck fell off, and got tangled up in the cables. And then the cows were, I had to get those out of the truck. They were ready to drown, but we got 'em out. But the stupid cows, some of 'em would swim upriver and [some] goin' downriver, so I had cows spread out all over between here and Fort Benton. But most of 'em made it, I think. We never could tell for sure. But I had a little problem livin' in the community after that. … It ruined any chance of me bein' county commissioner, let's say, not that I had any intention of it  [laughter] … And they have a little rowboat there in case [the ferry sinks]. But it was sorta chained down. You couldn't get it unhooked. So we had to get under the water to get it unhooked. We didn't have any paddles, so we had a boat but no paddles. But we found somethin', we managed, we got over to the edge. And [the ferry operator] was alright, but he didn't [know how to] swim." 

From an interview with Russ Salisbury, farmer, near Floweree, Montana.
Dog hero certificateFamily dog saves father, sonOur Dog Was A Hero

"One time, my brother was down here on the [Virgelle] ferry. I'm not sure what he was doing or anything, but he was standing off on the edge. And the next thing we know, he had fallen over. He was probably about, oh, ten, twelve years old when that happened. And it was the great, big ice floatin' in the water. It was really cold out; it was an early March day. And my dad saw him and he came down here, but he couldn't get out there 'cause [the water was] too cold and the current too swift, so he followed him down the river until he got closer to him around the bend. And he went out to get him. And at that time, we had a black lab dog. And she followed also with my dad. And my dad was comin' to shore [with my brother] and he gave out. It was too cold. They had hypothermia. And so the black lab swam out there and grabbed ahold of his jacket and pulled the two back in. And by that time, the ambulance and everything was here and took 'em to the hospital in Big Sandy. And the sheriff's department gave the black lab a gold medal and an award for savin' my dad and brother's life." 

From an interview with Beverly Terry, ferry operator, Virgelle, Montana 


Montana Twilight