Page 36 - Clackamas County Watertourism Strategic Plan. Final.v3

STRATEGIC PLAN FOR WATER-BASED TOURISM IN CLACKAMAS COUNTY, OREGON THE WATER
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completed a downtown master plan and a Parks Acquisition Plan to implement the city’s Parks and Recreation Master Plan. Throughout the planning processes the public clearly
articulated a goal to connect existing parks and trails to a perimeter trail system roughly paralleling the urban growth boundary at these two rivers. Future visitors would enjoy a
connection between downtown Canby and the Willamette River via the interconnected trail system.

Downstream of the MR State Park is the Canby Ferry. The ferry, the M.J. Lee, is owned and operated by Clackamas County and connects Holly Street in Canby to Mountain Road in
Wilsonville. It operates all year, seven days per week, (weather permitting). The toll is currently $5 per vehicle and it holds 9 cars. This ferry site is the only Willamette crossing in
Clackamas County except for the Oregon City bridge and highway I-205, also in Oregon City.
The ferry provided service for 217,210 vehicles in 2003.

The first ferry was purchased in July 1914 by Canby Mayor W.H. Bair and businessman Harry
B. Evans. It was propelled by a splashboard driven by the river current and held on course
by a cable. A second ferry was built in 1917 by Canby builder Frank E. Dodge and it operated
continuously until 1946. In 1952, the Canby Chamber and Lions Club presented the
Clackamas County Court with 8,000 signatures seeking restoration of ferry service and has
since operated continuously. In November 1952, a new ferry was launched at and
christened by Ora Lee Cattley, daughter of Canby's first mayor, and was named Millard
Jerome Lee after the first child born in the 1870-platted town of Canby. The characteristics
of the M.J. LEE are:
• Length Overall: 55'8"
• Length at Waterline: 53'2"
• Beam Overall: 36'
• Cruising Speed: 6.4 mph
• Passenger Capacity: 49
• Vehicle Capacity: 9 autos or 25 tons
• Propulsion: Two 75 HP Z-Drives

Fish Eddy Landing is another river access owned and managed by the City of Canby located
one mile downstream of the Canby Ferry. This is an undeveloped natural area with access
to the river but is rarely used.