Ice Jams and Ferry Rides
by Dave Ponke

When you have to climb aboard a Coast Guard Ice Cutter to get home, there must be unusual circumstances.

The ice floes of Lake Huron float downstream each spring and clog the St. Clair River at a narrow point in the North Channel near Harsen's Island. They cause havoc and literally turn the lives of residents upside down.

A bitter cold winter causes the ice to be thicker than normal in Lake Huron. When the early spring thaws start, pieces or floes of ice make their way downstream underneath the Blue Water Bridge past Port Huron. From there, the ice makes a deliberate journey past the towns of Marysville, St. Clair, Marine City and then Algonac. It is just south of Algonac, where the St. Clair River branches off into three channels: North, Middle and South, and the massive frozen chunks choose their destined path. When there is simply too much of it to continue through the channels, it clogs them and, like a plugged-up hourglass, it takes time to open up the movement again.

For people who need to work on the mainland, commuting turns into a nightmare on days when the car ferry that transports vehicles back and forth gets stuck in the massive chunks of ice that builds up.

The ice floes often become stacked on each other up to 30 feet or more, making the trip from Clay Township's shore to the Harsen's Island ferry dock next to impossible.

In years past, especially during the mid-1980s, there were days when the United States Coast Guard would send its largest ice cutters in the fleet, the Bristol Bay and the Bramble, to help ferry people to their homes.

The lucky ones who still had cars parked on the mainland, left there prior to the ferry closing down, could still drive to work. But, others were left without a way to get to their jobs, unless, of course, they worked on the island itself.

The South Channel, which passes the Harsen's Island "downtown" area of San's Souci, makes a wonderful vantage point for interested spectators in early spring.

Clay Township resident Kelly Osterland recalls of days gone by when she would travel from the mainland to Harsen's Island. "I would ride my bike over to see my friends," she says, "there was no charge to ride a bike or walk over…it was fun to go to the store there in San's Souci."

Eventually, the river becomes forgiving and allows the ice floes to continue a southern trek into Lake St. Clair, where they quickly melt and soon disappear. If any of the floes happen to reach the Detroit River they are often much reduced in size and not much of a problem or issue.

That's when residents welcome the spring warmth. The sunshine and higher temperatures that slowly penetrate the layers of ice and melt their seemingly permanent bond.