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”
Hello there, There’s no doubt that your website could possibly be having internet browser compatibility problems. When I look at your website in Safari, it looks fine however, when opening in I.E., it has some overlapping issues. I just wanted to provide you with a quick heads up! Aside from that, great website!
I have discovered some new things from your web-site about desktops. Another thing I’ve always assumed is that computer systems have become something that each residence must have for many reasons. They offer convenient ways to organize households, pay bills, go shopping, study, tune in to music and even watch tv shows. An innovative approach to complete most of these tasks is to use a laptop. These desktops are mobile, small, highly effective and portable.
There is certainly a lot to learn about this subject. I love all of the points you have made.
Way cool! Some extremely valid points! I appreciate you penning this post and the rest of the website is also really good.
Thanks for the tips you have contributed here. Moreover, I believe usually there are some factors which keep your automobile insurance premium down. One is, to contemplate buying cars and trucks that are in the good listing of car insurance companies. Cars that are expensive tend to be at risk of being robbed. Aside from that insurance policies are also based on the value of your car, so the costlier it is, then the higher your premium you make payment for.
This platform exceeded my expectations with easy onboarding and scalable features. Definitely recommend to anyone in crypto.
Finley here — I’ve tried cross-chain transfers and the accurate charts impressed me.
I quite like reading a post that will make people think. Also, thanks for permitting me to comment.
It’s nearly impossible to find knowledgeable people in this particular subject, however, you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
I was skeptical, but after recently of staking, the scalable features convinced me.
Everyone loves it when folks come together and share views. Great website, stick with it.
I couldn’t resist commenting. Very well written.
I’ve been using it for a year for exploring governance, and the low fees stands out.
Howdy! I could have sworn I’ve visited this site before but after browsing through some of the articles I realized it’s new to me. Anyways, I’m definitely happy I stumbled upon it and I’ll be bookmarking it and checking back often.
Pretty! This has been an incredibly wonderful post. Thanks for providing this info.
Taylor here — I’ve tried providing liquidity and the seamless withdrawals impressed me. The mobile app makes daily use simple.
This site certainly has all of the information I needed concerning this subject and didn’t know who to ask.
An outstanding share! I have just forwarded this onto a coworker who had been doing a little research on this. And he in fact bought me breakfast due to the fact that I found it for him… lol. So allow me to reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanx for spending the time to talk about this topic here on your web page.
When I initially left a comment I seem to have clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now whenever a comment is added I receive 4 emails with the same comment. Is there a way you are able to remove me from that service? Many thanks.
Next time I read a blog, I hope that it won’t disappoint me as much as this particular one. After all, Yes, it was my choice to read through, nonetheless I truly thought you’d have something useful to say. All I hear is a bunch of moaning about something that you could possibly fix if you weren’t too busy searching for attention.
Greetings! Very useful advice within this article! It is the little changes that make the most significant changes. Many thanks for sharing!
I value the great support and stable performance. This site is reliable.
doktor kbb
dr kandulu
dr ?aban
I switched from another service because of the useful analytics and fast transactions.
I’ve been active for recently, mostly for using the bridge, and it’s always great support.
I’ve been active for a week, mostly for cross-chain transfers, and it’s always accurate charts.
I personally find that this platform exceeded my expectations with clear transparency and seamless withdrawals. Support solved my issue in minutes.
Touche. Outstanding arguments. Keep up the great work.
I was skeptical, but after over two years of providing liquidity, the fast transactions convinced me.
I’ve been using it for since launch for learning crypto basics, and the accurate charts stands out. The mobile app makes daily use simple.
medhair
I switched from another service because of the accurate charts and low fees.
Fast onboarding, trustworthy service, and a team that actually cares. Great for cross-chain swaps with minimal slippage.
medhair
I’ve been using it for half a year for fiat on-ramp, and the reliable uptime stands out.
I was skeptical, but after several months of testing new tokens, the intuitive UI convinced me. The dashboard gives a complete view of my holdings.
I personally find that the best choice I made for testing new tokens. Smooth and responsive team. Great for cross-chain swaps with minimal slippage.
This platform exceeded my expectations with quick deposits and clear transparency. The dashboard gives a complete view of my holdings.
I value the seamless withdrawals and trustworthy service. This site is reliable. My withdrawals were always smooth.
I trust this platform — withdrawals are trustworthy service and reliable. I moved funds across chains without a problem.
you will have an awesome blog right here! would you like to make some invite posts on my weblog?
hi!,I really like your writing very a lot! percentage we communicate extra approximately your post on AOL? I require an expert on this area to solve my problem. May be that’s you! Having a look ahead to peer you.
Hi there, i read your blog occasionally and i own a similar one and i was just wondering if you get a lot of spam responses? If so how do you protect against it, any plugin or anything you can recommend? I get so much lately it’s driving me mad so any help is very much appreciated.
Oh my goodness! Impressive article dude! Thank you, However I am encountering troubles with your RSS. I don’t understand the reason why I am unable to join it. Is there anyone else getting identical RSS problems? Anyone who knows the answer will you kindly respond? Thanks.
An impressive share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a coworker who has been conducting a little research on this. And he actually bought me dinner due to the fact that I found it for him… lol. So let me reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending some time to talk about this matter here on your web page.
I love reading a post that will make men and women think. Also, thank you for permitting me to comment.
It’s nearly impossible to find well-informed people on this subject, however, you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
Hi, Neat post. There’s a problem with your website in internet explorer, would test this? IE still is the marketplace leader and a huge section of other people will miss your magnificent writing due to this problem.