The River's Edge and The Wheatland Ferry

Having a river gives you and edge, not just a shoreline. Why are some nations rich and others poor? Some Americans may believe it is because we have a superior work ethic here in the United States. Others point out that the territory which became the United States was blessed with many rivers which could be used for drinking water, power, transportation and alas sewage, systems. One only has to look to Oregon to see how this works. Oregon's population lives along its rivers, chiefly the Columbia and the Willamette. What population there is in Central Oregon follows the much smaller Deschutes. No rivers, no people, as in Southeastern Oregon. As one travels the Columbia River Highway, he or she can see plentiful barge traffic to this day.

So having a river gives you an edge. But it also creates a transporation problem. How to get over the river? One might think river ferries were a thing of the past in a great nation like the United States. Not so. Three ferries cross the Willamette. The one pictured here is the Wheatland Ferry. It costs $1.35 for a ten minute ride, but the savings in time and gasoline, huge.