FERRY—THE ONLY WAY TO GO (literally!)

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Please welcome Marisa Masterson to Petticoats and Pistols today!

Perhaps, like me, you think of the Oregon Trail or one of the other famous trails when travel westward in the 1800s is mentioned. For the most part, most people going overland followed one route in the area of what is now North Dakota to the South Pass in Wyoming. This trail meant crossing the North Platte River.

That crossing is just one example of places where water made western settlement challenging. Even smaller rivers could separate communities in areas where people settled rather than pushing further westward. Before bridges, one of the obvious answers for an enterprising man was to build a ferry and charge to take folks across the river.

David Hickman was one such entrepreneur. He arrived at the Upper Platte River with the plan to make money. Using stout posts, he strung ropes from one bank of the river to the other. To these, he attached pullies. With the help of employees, he ferried wagons across all day long most days. For this, he charged $5.

This was a river that regularly claimed lives. Wagon trains would often stop on the western bank for a day or two to search for bodies. With Hickman’s ferry came a sense of peace that belongings and family members would survive the crossing.

Literally, the ferry was the only insurance against casualties. No wonder people willingly paid the high price to cross on it.

Ferries were on my mind as I created the setting for my latest release. I set the town on the banks of a river and named it after the ferry owner. In fact, that man is so determined to have a town named after him that he sends away for mail-order brides to marry the single men living in the area. Enter my heroine, Marietta. She thinks she is marrying the ferry owner but instead finds herself marrying the local sheriff.

She would be content. He is a compassionate man. Only, a problem soon follows Marietta west and question about missing gold dog her days. Gold she knows nothing about.

Marietta is panicked after her husband’s execution. Her best choice is to marry a stranger.

Her future with her sheriff husband hints at love until a desperate man tracks her down, intent on forcing her to give up the stolen Confederate gold. One problem – she doesn’t have it!

Will this treasure hunter ruin Marietta’s chance at a home and family?

To buy a copy of Mail-Order-Marietta click here.

Giveaway:  To be entered in today’s random drawing for an eBook copy of Mail-Order Marietta, leave a comment about ferries or old bridges you know of from the history of the area where you live. 

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36 thoughts on “FERRY—THE ONLY WAY TO GO (literally!)”

  1. My husband is a transportation engineer, and I know he’s seen some older–not like the 1800s–ferry systems. The kind that only take a car or two at a time.

    Lots of wooden bridges in our area. And old stone bridges.

    I’ve only been on the Cape May-Lewes ferry.

  2. I have this book, but wanted to share!
    I live within a few miles of the Mormon Ferry crossing, later replaced by Hickman’s Ferry. We often walk along the bike paths & enjoy the scenic view in the summer. I also think of the pioneers crossing in the fall, winter, or spring when I see ice on the river & ponder having to cross it in a handcart or wagon as my ancestors did. Ferry crossing was less dangerous than wading across, but still presented quite a bit of hardship & danger.
    There were also a succession of bridges built in the area that, over time, replaced the need to ferry people across. At first the bridges got washed out, but people rebuilt & improved them as needed & the river now has a modern 4 lane asphalt bridge that connects a main road in Casper / Mills to the freeway.
    The North Platte River is also famous for its trout & is a popular fly fishing destination.

    • I read during my research about the Mormon Ferry crossing but didn’t have enough room in the blog to mention it. I am glad you did.

  4. Ferries often transported people in North Carolina’s history and even in modern times between our Outer Banks.

  5. My great-grandmother’s sister, Leah Hunt Riggs, traveled the Oregon Trail; she lost her husband not longer after starting. But she and her children made it to their destination.

  6. I live right next to Parke County Indiana which is the Covered Bridge capitol of the whole world!! We have several in our county as well!! Many new bridges that I cross on a daily basis that replace the covered bridges washed out in the great flood of 1957 the year hubs was born!!

  7. I’ve only rode one ferry. It was to reach Mackinac Island, Michigan. It is the only way to reach it even today. We were going to take a ferry in Outer Banks a few years ago, but the wait was 3 hours! We didn’t go.

    I don’t think I’ve read this book. But it sounds good!

  8. I was grew up is a small community called High Bridge KY. This is part of the history and years ago there was a ferry that crossed the river. I think there is still a river boat that will take you up under the bridge called the Palisades. “High Bridge was opened in 1876 and was the first cantilever bridge in North America. Standing 275 feet over the river between the Palisades, it first carried both passenger and freight trains. The American Society of Civil Engineers has designated it a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. The 1876 bridge was replaced in 1911 by a more robust bridge in the same place. This is the current bridge, which stands 308 feet (94 m) above the river. Freight trains of the Norfolk Southern Railway still use this bridge several times a day.”

  9. welcome today. thanks for sharing this interesting post. I have always wanted to ride a ferry, but have not had the opportunity. growing up dad worked in concrete repair, so we got to see many dams and bridges being built. one bridge was on a freeway going into Chicago. we dont live too far, so even though dad is dead now, we still pass it and I remember when dad was a major person to built this bridge. memories.

    • What a great way to remember him, by seeing some of his work. I bet I have seen it too on my way through and around Chicago.

  10. I remember a bridge across the river that I lived about a mile away from. It was called the Castle Bridge and it crossed Catawba River in N.C. When I was a child and riding in the family car, we crossed that bridge often. It was a single lane bridge, and if there was any one on the other side coming across you had to wait for them to cross and then take your turn. That bridge was torn down and a new 2 lane was built. Since then they are now talking about replacing it also.

    • Amazing how people managed to make narrow bridges work once upon a time. It’s a reminder of conscientious driving, I think.

  12. I live in rural South Africa and not too far from me, people and cars still cross the Kei River, near to the sea mouth, using a ferry like your photo. It takes a lot of trust but as far as I know no one has ever lost their life. Of course they don’t operate in rain or if there is any chance of flooding.

    • That’s how people still cross the water near to where my aunt lives. We take the ferry each time we visit her. Nice to know some continue to be used.

  13. There was a bridge where I grew up. It was like a covered bridge, but only had metal sides -no roof. It was wide enough for two cars to pass each other just barely. Most people did what I did – wait until the other car cross before trying to cross. The bridge is gone now.

    • I remember those narrow bridges on backroads as a child. The cars were wide and the roads seemed to still be made for buggies.

  15. We’re I grew up in Fries, Virginia there’s a bridge that crosses the New River and story goes the bridge was built backwards and it floods often.

  17. The Historic White’s Ferry is pretty close to us! It was built in 1786, but sadly operations were stopped in 2020 due to a land dispute that is ongoing. 🙁 What year did David Hickman build his ferry, and do you know how long it was in operation?

    • It was built around 1855, but I am not sure how long they ran it. I wonder if it continued after the surge of wagon travel ceased. I imagine once the train replaced travel by wagon that it started to faze out.

  18. I grew up on the shore of Lake Champlain in Northern New York. We have two ferries in the area. The “smaller” one carries about 40 cars and can handle tractor trailer trucks. The crossing takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Most days are uneventful, but I have been on it when the lake is really rough making things interesting. There is a large ferry that runs to Burlington, VT and crosses at the broad point in the lake. It takes about an hour to cross. That ferry has an enclosed lounge-type area and snack bar. This one only runs late Spring to Fall. The other is year round and has methods to keep the ice from forming in the slip areas.
    While in the Peace Corps, it did cross on a ferry like the one in the picture above. Crossed it on a bus. A bit rickety and not something I would want to try during rainy season when the water was high and things were very muddy. The roads in the area were not paved and were rutted & muddy even though it wasn’t rainy season. I also traveled on a sea going ferry for several days. It was over-loaded and we had to wait in port overnight because there was a storm in the area making the seas rough. It was certainly not the safest way to travel between ocean islands, but the only way for most. The decks were covered with people who slept there and even set up “campsites” even fixing food. I remember one sank several years after i was there and well over one hundred people died.

    • Seems we have been on more ferries than I remembered. There is one that runs fro Surrey, VA across the James River to Williamsburg, VA. My sister lives nearby and we have taken it many times. We have also taken the large ocean ferry from Prince Edward Island to Nova Scotia, Canada. It is huge with decks below for vehicles and several decks above for passengers. It has a restaurant, children’s activities, music on deck, cafes, wi-fi, gift shop, and viewing decks. A very nice way to travel.

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