Several of the early ferries were steam launches, including one at Sacramento before the first Yolo bridge was built (now the I Street Bridge), and a ferry between Martinez and Benicia. Some used horsepower and even human power. If the waterway had strong enough current, it could be harnessed to pull the ferry back and forth across the waterway. Most of the early ferries (as are some of the remaining ferries today) were guided across the waterways by a rope or cable. The cable ferry way up the Sacramento River at Princeton uses electricity for power, via an overhead pickup not unlike that used by an electric streetcar or trolley.

When the inner Delta islands were reclaimed and large farms established on them, ferries also were established to allow transit for people, crops, equipment and supplies. When the automobile came more in vogue, additional ferries were added to accommodate them. Most were cable-drawn ferries powered by small gasoline (later diesel) engines. In the 1920s, San Joaquin County installed 15 new ferries at key Delta crossings.

On November 30, 1925, the county awarded a contract to Stockton's Colberg Boat Works to construct a ferry. The cable ferry cost $2,630 and was powered by a 3 horsepower gasoline engine. It was put into service across Little Potat Slough to connect Terminous with Bouldin Island. It now was possible to go from Lodi across the Delta to Isleton, and on downstream to Rio Vista.

A few Delta ferries that no longer are with us would be welcome today, for they would save us a lot of wheeled miles. One would be the Staten Island Ferry that went from Terminous across the South Fork of the Mokelumne River to Staten Island. Driving from Tower Park Marina (at Terminous) to Giusti's (near Walnut Grove) is a substantial drive today. It would be perhaps one-fourth of the distance if the Staten Island Ferry still were in operation. As the crow flies, it is only three or four miles from Tower Park Marina to Herman & Helen's Marina. But it is a substantial drive on Hwy 12 and Interstate-5 that would be greatly reduced if the old Correia Ferry were still in operation.

There are five ferries remaining in the Delta that allow public access, but three of them lead to islands that are private property. So there are only two that represent a ferry ride that can be taken by the public, and both are free. One is the Real McCoy, a free-running (no cable) ferry powered by twin diesel engines that takes vehicles across Cache Slough to Ryer Island (and vice versa) and the J-Mack cable-drawn ferry across Steamboat Slough. The other three ferries are a cable-drawn ferry across Little Connection Slough at Herman & Helen's Marina and a cable-drawn ferry across Middle River to Woodward Island. The Victory II is a handsome free-running ferry that takes vehicles from Jersey Island to both Webb Tract and Bradford Island. Out of the Delta and way up the Sacramento River, the aforementioned Princeton Ferry still operates, charging a modest fee for a crossing. (There are more details on both the J-Mack and the Real McCoy in the page on Driving Tours and the Rio Vista-Ryde Loop.)

Note: all this material was adapted from Hal Schell's copyrighted hardcover book Cruising California's Delta, and all rights are reserved.