The Doukhobours first settled the land where the village Petrofka in 1899. At the time the nearest store was at Borden which was too far to drive their oxen. The next closest store was at Rosthern, 22 miles away but to get there they had to cross the river. The managed to acquire a boat but it was hard work paddling across the river & then walking the rest of the way & carrying heavy supplies on their backs. Eventually a village man named John Strelioff invented a paddle wheel and attached it to the boat with a hand crank. This cut river crossing in time. They still had the problem of having to carry supplies on their backs so Mr. Strelioff invented a huge wheel barrow that they would push to Rosthern. It was soon obvious that Petrofka needed its own ferry. In 1901 the ferry made its first crossing. This made life alot easier since wagon teams could now make the river crossing easily.
In the late 1950s it became evident that the ferry was no longer a good option for crossing the river as there were long long line ups as people waited their turn to cross. Also the ferry was out of commission in the winters and due to the increase weight of newer vehicles driving across the ice wasn't safe any longer. It was decided that a bridge needed to be built. In 1962 Petrofka Bridge officially opened near the ferry site & the ferry was officially shut down. To commemorate the end of an era it was decided that a cairn would be erected as a reminder of the Petrofka Ferry and the people of the former village. The cairn was unveiled at a ceremony in 1959. 2000 people attended the ceremony.
Please read the cairn and enjoy the view. Replace the cache as you found it. FTF please take something without trading as your prize.