Walter’s ferry operated until the first bridges came along 30 years later. Remarkably, even in the 21st century, a few precious links endure to the go-slow way it used to be.

Alberta Transportation operates seven free ferries as part of Alberta’s highway network. I’ve long been captivated by the romance of the age of river ferry travel, and often plan my travels around the province for the maximum crossings possible.

More than 110 years ago, the Athabasca River was a freeway to the north, a route to the 1897-98 Klondike gold rush, and a place of meeting and renewal. Now, crossing the mighty river on the Klondyke Ferry just outside historic Fort Assiniboine, it is as if time stands still.

The Boreal forest cradles the sandy banks of the river, beaver and muskrat forage along the shore, the sound of Canada Geese echoes overhead. "The river's come up eight inches in the last day," the ferry operator says, as I regard the flow. “It's running brown now, but it will be a milky blue from glacial runoff soon enough.”

The Klondyke Ferry along the route to the gold rush today connects Highway 661 over the Athabasca River and operates from early May to November 14. The 1983 cable ferry has a load capacity of 50,000 kilograms and carries 13 mid-size cars and 50 passengers on the 230-metre crossing.

Fort Assiniboine was founded as a fur trade post in 1823, making it the second oldest registered fort in Alberta. It became a transportation centre for goods carried by pack horse from Fort Edmonton to Lesser Slave Lake post, Jasper House and Dunvegan.

To commemorate its early history, the Fort Assiniboine Friendship Museum is modelled after a Hudson’s Bay trading post. For more on the historic route to the gold rush, visit www.klondiketrail.ca

The Bleriot Ferry connects Highway 838, the Dinosaur Trail, over the Red Deer River at Munson from May 2 through October 31. I first took it in the 1960s, when I was just a wide-eyed kid, with visions of dinosaurs and river monsters dancing in my imagination.

A ferry has served here since 1913, and today’s craft is a 1997 cable ferry which carries 13 cars and up to 99 passengers on the 105-metre crossing. The ferry is named for Andre Bleriot, a pioneer of the Munson area and the first ferryman of the Munson Ferry.

The Crowfoot Ferry links two ends of Range Road 201 over the Bow River five kilometres south of the junction of highways 1 and 56. The crossing was first served by a current-driven ferry in 1923, and was a primary way for the region’s grain farmers to transport their goods. The 1997 cable ferry operates from May 2 to November 20, and with a load capacity of 62,500 kilograms, can carry nine mid-size cars and up to 50 passengers the 150-metres across the water.

The Finnegan Ferry on Highway 862 over the Red Deer River, operates from the last week of April to November 15. The 105-metre crossing is navigated by a 2001 cable ferry with a load capacity of 62,500 kilograms, enough to carry 13 mid-size cars and 50 passengers.

The LaCrete Ferry, also known by locals as the Tompkins Ferry, links Highway 697 over the mighty and wide Peace River from early May to mid-November. The 680-metre crossing is the longest in the province’s ferry network.

The crossing is served by a self-propelled ferry which entered service in 1987. The 33-metre long ferry carries a maximum load of 95,000 kilograms, enough for 14 mid-size cars and 60 passengers.

In the winter, an ice bridge is maintained at the same spot. The operation of the ferry has been made more challenging by a sandbar, which formed in the centre of the river in 2006, forcing the ferrymen to navigate around it. The sandbar has grown to such a size that the ferry does not always run when the water level drops too low.

The Rosevear Ferry on Range Road 154 (Rosevear Road) over the McLeod River near Highway 748, operates from early May to mid-November. To get there, take Rosevear Road north from Highway 16.

The 18-metre long cable-driven ferry, built in 1969, was first used at the Bleriot crossing. It was transferred here in 1997 when Bleriot got its new vessel. The ferry carries 30 passengers and 13-mid-size cars across the 100-metre distance from bank to bank.

The Shaftesbury Ferry connects Highway 740 over the Peace River and operates from early May to mid-November. The 325-metre crossing is traversed by a 1962 ferry pushed by a tug boat. The vessel can tote 38,000 kilograms and has a capacity of 46 passengers and eight mid-size cars.

Bridges might be faster and more convenient, but there’s nothing like a ferry to put you smack-dab in the moment, and help you appreciate nature and the serenity. Going slow has seldom been more fun.

Information on the Alberta ferries is available online at www.infratrans.gov.ab.ca/1965.htm