| When the “Senior Camp” was
built across the Tenny River the only access to it was by rowboat or by
the Tenny River Road off route 85. With a capacity of 24 scouts and
several leaders, better access was needed so a ferry was established.
Until the fifties these ferries were made as hollow flat-topped barges, pulled across the river by rope and pulley. There were lots of problems including leaking hulls requiring frequent pumping out (the job of the Chipmunk Point waterfront staff). The 1943 version was named the "Queen Mary". A later model had oil drums as floatation devices. Often on wet mornings the rope was too tight to pull through the blocks. At other times the line would drop into the river. This newer design was called the Tenny Belle. This name was applied to a succession of ferry boats which were hand propelled across the river using a pulley and rope system. One Sunday afternoon an overload of Scouts and parents attempting to cross the river, all leaning to the same side, were given a sudden and unexpected swim in the river. You can see a model of the Tenny Belle in the recreation hall museum. The Tenny Belle was replaced by the Tenny River Bridge in 1966 |
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