In 1880 when ads like this were common in Winnipeg paper, most immigrants came by way of the Great Lakes to Duluth, then to the Red River where steamboats or the railway would get them to Emerson and Winnipeg. The most direct route for settlers heading to homestead in southern Manitoba was along the Boundary Commission Trail from Emerson.

Steamboat companies promoted their service from Winnipeg as the less difficult more comfortable option even if it took out of your way. Anyone who did travel for days in a cart pulled by oxen, over barely recognizable trails, and difficult stream crossings might well agree.
But you still had to face that trip from the Assiniboine to your new home it was indeed shorter. 

For people north of the Assiniboine in the Lavenham area, the closest larger "market" towns, of Holland and Trehene, were south of the river. The fact that three ferries served a short stretch of river indicates the demand for convenient access to those towns and the goods and services available there. Above all, farmers relied on reasonable access to elevators. In 1962 one site was chosen for a bridge (#2) but that has since gone.

While the Local History reports agree that #1 on the map is the Ladysmith Ferry there is some conflicting information as to the Hird and Harland Ferries.  Several reports place Harland's Ferry at 14-8-9-10, 9 1/2 miles north of Treherne on the Matchettville Road. That would be #2.  At  least two reports mention that the Hird Ferry was replaced by a bridge, but maps and other sources indicate that the bridge was located at the site #2.

Ron Catt, whose family has been near Ladysmith for over 100 years, tells me that #2 is indeed Harland's and he would know.

Sometimes memories fade and sometimes the names locals use to identify locations change, so I can't vouch for the total accuracy of the labels on a few images I have used.

Between 1895 and 1898, a ferry run by the river current was built. A large steel cable was stretched across the river. Then two smaller cables were attached to the ferry - one at each end. These ran through pulleys on the large cable and back to windlasses which were operated by hand letting the ferry run at an angle according to which way you wished to go. New models were built over the following decades.
By 1921 traffic reached many as 110 rigs in a single day.

The ferry could be sunk by overloading. Once a farm truck, loaded with grain, crossed and the driver lied about the size of his load. George Hird was called home from Treherne to pull the ferry out with his tractor. 

These stories and other are available in theTreherne History, including a detailed report by Fannv Gibbs (p78).

A Memory...

There was a "toll" on "out of municipality" cars and on all cars after seven p.m. One fellow, a stranger to Frank, insisted he came from South Norfolk and got across twice without paying. After confirming his suspicions that the man was in reality an outsider, Frank alerted Mr. Tom Woodward on the Harland Ferry at Lavenham. The stranger never came back over the Hird ferry, but Mr. Woodward caught him on the Harland Ferry and charged him for unpaid trips.
 

The Harland's Ferry started as a private enterprise in 1904, but the municipality sanctioned the operation and supplied the material and cable.
The fee for crossing for non-residents was 25¢ anytime. After sundown municipality travellers paid 25¢.
It was operated in this manner for a few years, and was eventually taken over by the municipality who hired an operator for each summer.
The ferry operated on a heavy cable anchored by big poles on each bank of the river. By angling the ferry in the current or the river, the ferry would be propelled across. The ferryman lived in a small house on the south bank. Eventually it became River Park, a popular picnic spot for folks on a Sunday.  On the first Sunday in August, 1922, 75 cars were parked there. Nine swings, a boarded in pool for the tots and the whole river available for adults with picnicking for all.

After World War I, Dr. Laurie Lamont cared for most of the sick around Lavenham and district. In the spring and fall, when the ferries could not operate due to river conditions the doctor often crossed the river in a small boat or on a plank fastened to pulleys on the ferry cable.

In 1944, after the Ladysmith ferry was discontinued, Hugh Ross Sr., Clarence Dobbin and Philip Woodward constructed a portable bridge of timber about a kilometre upstream from the ferry crossing. This bridge was put on and taken off in sections with the help of a portable crane. This bridge was used for a few years until unusually high water discouraged further use of it.

James Hamilton floated lumber down from Little's sawmill, which was situated on the south bank of the Assiniboine River near the mouth of the Cypress River, to this crossing, where he built and launched a ferry in 1882. He was given a charter by the municipality to operate it and all rights, in addition, to river crossings for a distance of eight miles west of the site for five years.
Nelson Drew was the first ferryman and his salary was $160.00 a year. The ferryman was required to be in attendance from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. each day from spring break-up until freeze-up in the fall. There was to be no charge for resident ratepayers in the municipality except after hours when a 25 cent charge was levied. Each person driving a single or double rig from outside the municipality had to pay 50 cents each way or 75 cents for both ways, while a foot passenger from outside the municipality paid 10 cents each way. In 1934 Tom Woodley and Oliver Tichborne built a new ferry which has since given way to the Holland Austin Bridge built in 1954.