Colsac III Ferry
Photos
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The Colsac III Ferry The Colsac III ferry operates from mid-April to November 30, each year, weather permitting and operates 24/7 in season. "Colsac" is a phonetic combination of the names of Columbia and Sauk Counties, separated by the Wisconsin River. A ferry has been in operation at this site since 1844, four years before Wisconsin became a state.
The Wisconsin DOT site claims this is a one-mile crossing, but near as I can tell, it's really about 4/10 of a mile. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007 |
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Cars Que up on the Okee (east) side of the river Okee is nearby, the ferry docks are in the Town of West Point. (Yes, West Point is on the east side of the river.) Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007 |
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Departing Okee for Merrimac The Colsac III carries three lanes of of five cars, a total of 15 cars. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007 |
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Hydraulic ramps allow entrance and exit Here cars depart the ferry on the Merrimac side. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007 |
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Cars Que in 3 Lanes This is the que on the Merrimac side. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007 |
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Guide cable anchor The ferry is guided by two outboard cables, a center cable is used for propulsion. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007 |
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Ferry arrives on Merrimac side Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007 |
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NRHP and State historic plaques Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007 |
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Safety Devices Wisconsin law requires life preservers for all passengers. The law also requires a life boat, which looks suspiciously like a typical fishing boat.
Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007 |
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Builder's Plaque The Colsac III went into service in 2003, replacing the aging Colsac II that only carried 12 automobiles. Colsac II replaced the original Colsac in 1963. Colsac was built in 1924 and was operated by the two counties as a fee ferry until 1933, when it was turned over to the state. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007 |
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The superstructure and bridge Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007 |
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Guide cable The north side guide cable. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007 |
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State of Wisconsin Historical Marker Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007 |
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Ferry Warning In the event that the ferry is not operational, these warning signs are placed at strategic locations to advise motorists to revise their routes. Drivers may also call (608)246-3871 to check availability. Photo taken by J.R. Manning in October 2007 |
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Photo taken by J.R. Manning |
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Colsac III Construction 1 There are no shipyards on the Wisconsin River. So the vessel was built at a Lake Michigan shipyard and shipped overland to the assembly site in prefabricated sections that fit together like a model kit. After assembly, the vessel was slid on an I-beam track into the water. Photo taken by Robert Thompson |
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Colsac III Construction 2 The ferry is a catamaran (twin) hull, joined by a bridge deck. The drive system (housed inside the superstructure) and superstructure were added on top of the assembled hull. The vessel has two engines for redundancy; only one is used at a time. Photo taken by Robert Thompson |
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Colsac III Construction 3 Closeup of the end ramps. Despite the placarded weight limit of 32,000 pounds maximum, the deck and ramps were designed to withstand the full 80,000 pounds of an OTR semi-trailer. The small ramp with railings is for foot and bicycle passengers. Photo taken by Robert Thompson |
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Colsac III Construction 4 The hulls were set up on blocking, the bridge deck dropped in place and the parts were jacked together. This shot shows the welding on the starboard joint almost complete; after the inside welding is done, closing plates will seal the hull. Also visible is one of the drive system pulleys. The engines coolant runs through channels welded to the bottom plating, functioning as a radiator. Photo taken by Robert Thompson |
Map
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Facts
- Overview
- Ferry across Wisconsin River on Wis 113
- Status
- Open to traffic
- History
- Privately owned, free ferry from 1844 to 1923, operated by State of Wisconsin since 1933 as a free ferry
- Builder
- - Basic Marine Inc. of Escanaba, Michigan
- Design
- Ferry
- Recognition
- Posted to the National Register of Historic Places
- Approximate latitude, longitude
- +43.36780, -89.62360 (decimal degrees)
43°22'04" N, 89°37'25" W (degrees°minutes'seconds") - Approximate UTM coordinates
- 16/287430/4805002 (zone/easting/northing)
- USGS topographic map
- Lodi
- Inventory numbers
- NRHP 74000330 (National Register of Historic Places reference number)
BH 36174 (Bridgehunter.com ID)
Update Log
- November 16, 2009: Updated by Robert Thompson: Added builder
- November 15, 2009: New photos from Robert Thompson
- August 9, 2008: Updated by J.R. Manning: Updated NRHP Listing
- February 5, 2008: Added by J.R. Manning
Sources
- J.R. Manning - thekitchenguy [at] sbcglobal [dot] net
- Robert Thompson
Comments
During WWII, the ferry was a bottleneck for workers communing to an ordnance plant in Baraboo. The US Government offered to pay half the cost of a bridge, but the governor vetoed the idea, saying that if the US Government wanted a bridge here, they could pay for the whole thing.
In the 1960's, service complaints stacked up because the original Colsac, built in 1924 for cars the size of a Model T Ford, could only carry six modern cars. I-94 crossed the Wisconsin River just 12 miles up the road, and it was thought that most tourists would rather travel the Interstate than the anachronistic ferry. The state proposed building a bridge here. Local interests had seen how tourists gladly traveled 12 miles out of their way to take the ferry, so they started a local protest.
Buttons proclaiming "I believe in ferries" was the basis of the campaign. The state gave in, and the Colsac II went into service in 1963.
According to the Wisconsin DOT, the ferry continues to carry over a quarter of a million vehicles each year, including 316,819 in 2004. Link: http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/water/merrimac-history.htm
The Colsac III is a nostalgic trip across the river, the last ferry on the state trunk highway system. At one time, there were over 500 ferries in operation in Wisconsin. Ferries carry cars and people into the state but this is the last ferry operating within the state of Wisconsin.
Webmaster's note: The photo that was here has been incorporated into the main site.