Yes, indeed there were ferries that did operate south to north on Flathead Lake. As far as I know it they were not directly run by either the GN or the NP, but you know how railroad magnates had their corporate hands on things - perhaps they had some controlling interest in the ferries. In reality, the steamboats and ferries were pretty much going downhill after the GN was completed in 1893. The real death blow came when the NP Dixon to Polson line was completed [circa 19teens?]. There was some steamboat and logging raft activity up until about the 1940's but for all intents and purposes - the steamboat era on Flathead Lake didn't last more than about 25 years starting in the late 1880's.

Talk to ya later,
Dale Jones