Driving around greater Helena and East Helena, the name Canyon Ferry pops up everywhere. These are reminders that there was an actual “canyon ferry” that crossed the Missouri River near a settlement established in early 1865 by a man named John Oaks.
Miners from Confederate, Magpie and Cave gulches often came to this point to cross the Missouri, and rowing across the river was hard work. A flat open boat was soon strung across the river near where the first dam was built some 30 years later. The charge for being pulled across was 25 cents for a horse and rider and 50 cents for a team of horses or oxen.
Anchored by cables, the heavy barge was driven across the Missouri by the river current. This is known as a reaction ferry, which uses the current against a fixed tether to propel the vessel. This one operated using an overhead cable suspended from towers anchored on both banks.
