The Canby Ferry - M.J. Lee

Canby Ferry Information Line: 503-650-3030

The Canby Ferry crosses the Willamette River between Canby and Wilsonville seven days a week whenever there is a vehicle to transport from 6:45 a.m. to 9:15 p.m. The Canby Ferry is closed New Years Day, Martin Luther King Day, Presidents Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. map directions

The ferry has space for six cars. For safety reasons, it does not operate when the level of the river reaches 70.0 feet or higher.  The height of the river is determined by information on a County gauge that is read by County ferry operators and sent to the National Weather Service.  NWS compiles the data – you can see that information about the river level at the Canby Ferry location here.

FARES (one way)

Another Willamette River Ferry:  Wheatland Ferry in Marion County

About the M.J. Lee

Length overall:        55 feet, 8 inches
Length at waterline: 53 feet, two inches
Beam overall:         36 feet
Cruising speed:       6.4 mph
Passenger capacity:  42
Vehicle capacity:     6 autos or 25 tons
Propulsion:             Two 75HP Z-drives

	The first M.J. Lee carried passengers and vehicles for 43 years, from 1953 to 1996.
	The M.J. Lee II went into service in 1997.

Historical Notes

July 1914: Ferry purchased in Newberg by Canby Mayor W.H. Bair and by Harry B. Evans, representing the Canby Business Men's Club. It was propelled by a splashboard driven by the river current and held on course by a cable. The first ferryman was Clem Dollar who received $10 a month from the City of Canby to run the ferry.

May 1916: Authorized $250 for new, gas-driven ferry.

1917: Second ferry built by Frank E. Dodge, Canby builder.

1917 - 1918: Edward Kilgallen, who lost an arm in childhood, succeeded Dollar as ferryman and the annual wages were reduced to $7.50 per month. He was found dead in the boathouse at the ferry slip in 1932. He had figured his trips across the river at 1,261, carrying 1,942 passengers.

1919 - 20: W.B. Nolen was paid a similar sum as ferryman.

1933: Theodore Neep served as ferryman on the Dodge-built craft until 1942. He and his family lived in a house on the south landing furnished by the County.

January1946: Ferry was swept from moorings and pieces went over Willamette Falls.

1946 - 1953: Inactive.

June 1952: Canby Chamber and Lions Club presented the Clackamas County Court with 8,000 signatures seeking restoration of ferry service.

September1952: County Commissioners approved construction of a steel-hulled ferryboat by L.S. Baier of Milwaukie.

November 1952: Ferry was launched at Baier's plant and christened by Ora Lee Cattley, daughter of Canby's first mayor, Herman A. Lee, and grand-daughter of Philander and Anna Green Lee who settled in the Canby area in 1847. The ferry was named for Millard Jerome Lee, first child born (1872) in the 1870-platted town of Canby.

July 3, 1953: Ferry service was restored with William H. Criteser and Bill Bruck as ferrymen. Chester Weaver was named third operator.

1956 - 1986: Miller (Ace) Mays served as ferry operator.

1959 - 1979: Victor Hodel served as ferry operator.

1960 - 1978: Richard W. Hill served as ferry operator.

1986: Free service ended and one-way toll of $1 was established.

1989: Ferry was renovated and repainted. Coast Guard declares that vessel would not be recertified.

December1995: Ferry failed Coast Guard safety inspection and County contracted with Art Anderson Associates to replace it.

February 1996: Ferry closed due to severe flooding on Willamette and remained closed during rebuilding of ferry docks.

June 20, 1997: Service was restored with new six-passenger ferry. Ferry crew included Joe Dietrich, John Lettenmaier, Carl Ellison, Jack Siefert, Mike Pyszka and Bret Proffitt.

July 4, 1997: Clackamas County Commissioners and the Canby community celebrated the reopening. The M.J. Lee II was christened by Doris Cattley Martin, descendent of M.J. Lee.

(from information provided by Myra Weston, Canby historian)