| Deception Pass Ferry | |
| Crosses: | Deception Pass |
| Traveltime: | 5 minutes |
| Frequency: | hourly, 7:30 am to 7:30 pm. |
| Closed: | 1935 |
| Successor: | Deception Pass Bridge |
The Deception Pass ferry was a ferry route in Washington State that ran between Fidalgo Island and Whidbey Island across Deception Pass.
A ferry across Deception Pass was first proposed by Island and Skagit county commissioners in 1912, and was definitely in operation by 1914.[1] [2] [3] From 1924 to 1935, the route was run by Berte H. Olson (1882-1959), and her husband, O.A. Olson, who held a state highway contract. Berte Olson was the first woman to hold a ferry captain's license in Washington state.
The Olsons had a ferry built specifically for the route. This was the Deception Pass, 68.82NaN2 long by 242NaN2 beam, constructed by the Ballard Marine Yard in June, 1924. The fee for car and driver was 50 cents, with 10 cents additional for every extra passenger, with "extra large" cars paying 75 cents. Service was hourly, and the transit time was only five minutes. Patrons were cautioned that the schedule was "subject to storms, breakdowns, and conditions beyond our control."
The route was discontinued when the Deception Pass Bridge was completed in 1935.[4] For years, Berte Olson fought a political struggle against the bridge, even persuading Governor Roland Hartley to veto a funding bill that had been unanimously passed by the Washington State legislature in 1929. Eventually she was defeated, but she became known as a strong-willed person.[5]