At certain places on the Sabine River, I try to keep an eye out for evidence of the ferries that once allowed people (and wagons and livestock) to cross the river before bridges became an option.
If the water in the Sabine wasn’t so brown and murky, you could probably locate some of the old ferries decaying on the riverbed, where they sank after being abandoned in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. I heard about them from my friend and collaborator Jacob Botter, whose ancestors operated a ferry at the end of what is now Waldons Ferry Road, a dirt trail in rural Harrison County. His great-great-great-great-grandpa (give or take a great or two) ran a rope from one side of the river to the other and used the rope to pull himself across whenever a paying customer wanted passage.
I’m not sure when that ferry ceased to exist, but Gaines Ferry, the last ferry on the Sabine River, operated until 1937. It transported travelers along the old Camino Real, where Texas Highway 21 meets Louisiana Highway 6. The ferry was replaced by a bridge, which was inundated by the creation of Toledo Bend Reservoir a little more than half a century ago.
I was reminded of the Sabine River ferries when my friend Sean Kimmons shared photos from his recent crossing of the Rio Grande. Sean and his parents loaded their car onto a ferry in Los Ebanos, Texas, and were pulled across the river by a team of men tugging a rope stretched from one bank to the other.
According to the Texas Department of Transportation, the Los Ebanos Ferry is the only remaining hand-pulled ferry on the Texas-Mexico border.
The Los Ebanos Ferry is a popular tourist attraction since it is the only remaining hand-pulled ferry on the U.S.-Mexico border. It can accommodate only three cars and 12 pedestrians at one time.
The crossing is also known locally as Los Ebanos-San Miguel Camargo, Ferry Gustavo Díaz Ordaz and Ferry Díaz Ordaz-Los Ebanos.
Although the crossing has been in operation since the 1950s, the current ferry has been operating since 1979. It was recognized with a state historical marker in 1975.
And here’s a photo of a Sabine River ferry taken in 1916.
Here’s a random video that shows how the Los Ebanos Ferry works.
22,112 responses to “Hand-pulled ferries across the Sabine and Rio Grande”
Excellent post! We will be linking to this particularly great article on our site. Keep up the good writing.
Excellent blog you have here.. It’s hard to find high-quality writing like yours nowadays. I seriously appreciate people like you! Take care!!
Having read this I thought it was rather enlightening. I appreciate you taking the time and effort to put this short article together. I once again find myself personally spending a lot of time both reading and commenting. But so what, it was still worth it.
This site definitely has all the information and facts I wanted about this subject and didn’t know who to ask.
Very nice article. I certainly appreciate this website. Stick with it!
This is a very good tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere. Brief but very precise info… Thank you for sharing this one. A must read article.
The next time I read a blog, Hopefully it won’t fail me as much as this one. After all, Yes, it was my choice to read through, nonetheless I really thought you would probably have something interesting to say. All I hear is a bunch of complaining about something that you could possibly fix if you weren’t too busy searching for attention.
I’m very happy to uncover this great site. I want to to thank you for ones time for this particularly fantastic read!! I definitely loved every little bit of it and I have you book marked to look at new stuff in your blog.
great post, very informative. I wonder why the other experts of this sector don’t notice this. You must continue your writing. I am sure, you’ve a huge readers’ base already!
After exploring a few of the blog articles on your web site, I seriously like your way of blogging. I book-marked it to my bookmark webpage list and will be checking back in the near future. Take a look at my website as well and tell me your opinion.
Hi there, just became alert to your blog through Google, and found that it’s truly informative. I am going to watch out for brussels. I?ll be grateful if you continue this in future. Lots of people will be benefited from your writing. Cheers!
This website was… how do you say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found something which helped me. Thanks a lot!
I blog often and I really appreciate your information. This great article has really peaked my interest. I am going to take a note of your blog and keep checking for new information about once per week. I opted in for your Feed as well.
This is a topic that’s close to my heart… Cheers! Where can I find the contact details for questions?
May I simply just say what a relief to uncover somebody who really knows what they are talking about on the net. You actually understand how to bring a problem to light and make it important. More and more people really need to read this and understand this side of the story. I was surprised that you’re not more popular because you definitely possess the gift.
One thing I’d like to say is the fact before buying more computer memory, have a look at the machine into which it could well be installed. Should the machine is definitely running Windows XP, for instance, the actual memory ceiling is 3.25GB. Setting up greater than this would purely constitute a waste. Make sure one’s motherboard can handle your upgrade volume, as well. Great blog post.
Greetings! Very helpful advice in this particular post! It is the little changes that produce the most important changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Great information. Lucky me I discovered your website by accident (stumbleupon). I have saved it for later!
I have been surfing online more than 3 hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It is pretty worth enough for me. In my view, if all web owners and bloggers made good content as you did, the net will be a lot more useful than ever before.
A person necessarily assist to make seriously articles I would state. That is the very first time I frequented your web page and so far? I surprised with the analysis you made to make this particular publish amazing. Wonderful task!
I used to be suggested this web site by my cousin. I’m now not sure whether this post is written through him as nobody else understand such specific about my trouble. You are incredible! Thank you!
Would you be inquisitive about exchanging links?
Good post. I learn something totally new and challenging on sites I stumbleupon every day. It will always be useful to read articles from other writers and practice something from other sites.
That is a really good tip particularly to those fresh to the blogosphere. Simple but very precise info… Thanks for sharing this one. A must read article.
Hi, I do believe this is a great web site. I stumbledupon it 😉 I may revisit yet again since i have book-marked it. Money and freedom is the best way to change, may you be rich and continue to help other people.
Everyone loves what you guys are up too. Such clever work and coverage! Keep up the awesome works guys I’ve included you guys to my blogroll.
I could not resist commenting. Perfectly written!
I have figured out some points through your blog post. One other stuff I would like to mention is that there are several games available and which are designed particularly for preschool age little ones. They contain pattern identification, colors, dogs, and shapes. These usually focus on familiarization instead of memorization. This makes a child engaged without having the experience like they are learning. Thanks
Good information. Lucky me I came across your site by chance (stumbleupon). I’ve saved as a favorite for later.
Good post. I certainly love this website. Stick with it!
Thank you for another informative blog. Where else could I get that type of info written in such a perfect way? I have a project that I’m just now working on, and I have been on the look out for such information.
Greetings! Very helpful advice within this post! It is the little changes that will make the most significant changes. Many thanks for sharing!
I love reading an article that can make people think. Also, thank you for allowing me to comment.
Thanks for the thoughts you talk about through your blog. In addition, lots of young women which become pregnant will not even make an effort to get medical care insurance because they are concerned they might not qualify. Although some states at this moment require that insurers produce coverage in spite of the pre-existing conditions. Prices on all these guaranteed options are usually greater, but when thinking about the high cost of medical treatment it may be a safer strategy to use to protect your financial future.
Thanks for your publication. I would also like to opinion that the very first thing you will need to accomplish is determine whether you really need credit score improvement. To do that you simply must get your hands on a copy of your credit score. That should never be difficult, since government necessitates that you are allowed to acquire one absolutely free copy of your credit report annually. You just have to check with the right men and women. You can either read the website for that Federal Trade Commission or maybe contact one of the leading credit agencies immediately.
hello!,I like your writing very much! share we communicate more about your article on AOL? I require a specialist on this area to solve my problem. Maybe that’s you! Looking forward to see you.
Aw, this was a really good post. Finding the time and actual effort to create a really good article… but what can I say… I put things off a whole lot and never manage to get anything done.
Have you ever considered writing an e-book or guest authoring on other blogs? I have a blog based upon on the same information you discuss and would love to have you share some stories/information. I know my subscribers would appreciate your work. If you are even remotely interested, feel free to shoot me an e mail.
Saved as a favorite, I love your site!
Spot on with this write-up, I seriously feel this site needs a great deal more attention. I’ll probably be back again to read through more, thanks for the information!
My brother suggested I may like this blog. He was once totally right. This put up actually made my day. You can not believe simply how so much time I had spent for this information! Thank you!
Pretty! This has been a really wonderful post. Thank you for providing these details.
A fascinating discussion is worth comment. There’s no doubt that that you need to publish more on this subject matter, it may not be a taboo matter but generally people don’t talk about these subjects. To the next! Best wishes.
This blog was… how do I say it? Relevant!! Finally I’ve found something which helped me. Thanks a lot!
An impressive share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a coworker who has been conducting a little homework on this. And he in fact bought me breakfast because I discovered it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending the time to discuss this subject here on your website.
I could not refrain from commenting. Perfectly written.
Very good post. I certainly appreciate this site. Thanks!
This website was… how do you say it? Relevant!! Finally I have found something which helped me. Thanks a lot.
doktor kbb
dr güncel