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.
22,065 responses to “Hand-pulled ferries across the Sabine and Rio Grande”
The portfolio tracking process is simple and the stable performance makes it even better.
I’ve been active for over two years, mostly for exploring governance, and it’s always scalable features.
This platform exceeded my expectations with scalable features and quick deposits.
I personally find that evan here — I’ve tried using the API and the low fees impressed me.
The site is easy to use and the quick deposits keeps me coming back. The mobile app makes daily use simple.
This platform exceeded my expectations with fast transactions and quick deposits. My withdrawals were always smooth.
I switched from another service because of the responsive team and seamless withdrawals. Charts are accurate and load instantly.
The interface is scalable features, and I enjoy portfolio tracking here.
Hello, its good paragraph on the topic of media print, we all be aware of media is a impressive source of data.|
Thank you a lot for sharing this with all people you really know what you are talking about! Bookmarked. Kindly additionally seek advice from my site =). We could have a link change agreement between us|
Spot on with this write-up, I really believe that this site needs a great deal more attention. I’ll probably be returning to see more, thanks for the advice!|
It’s an awesome post in support of all the web users; they will get benefit from it I am sure.|
Undeniably believe that which you stated. Your favorite reason appeared to be on the net the easiest thing to take into account of. I say to you, I certainly get irked while other folks consider worries that they plainly don’t know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and also outlined out the entire thing with no need side effect , people can take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks|
Very soon this web page will be famous amid all blog visitors, due to it’s nice articles or reviews|
Fantastic post however I was wanting to know if you could write a litte more on this subject? I’d be very grateful if you could elaborate a little bit further. Cheers!|
I know this web page offers quality dependent articles or reviews and additional stuff, is there any other web page which offers such information in quality?|
Hello there, I found your website via Google while searching for a related matter, your website came up, it appears good. I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
Incredible quest there. What happened after? Take care!|
I’ve been using it for half a year for trading, and the robust security stands out.
I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you make this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz respond as I’m looking to design my own blog and would like to find out where u got this from. appreciate it|
I enjoy looking through a post that will make people think. Also, thanks for permitting me to comment.
I do not know whether it’s just me or if everybody else encountering issues with your blog. It looks like some of the text in your posts are running off the screen. Can someone else please comment and let me know if this is happening to them as well? This may be a problem with my browser because I’ve had this happen before. Thanks|
Great platform with reliable uptime — it made my crypto journey easier.
Fees are clear transparency, and the execution is always smooth. Definitely recommend to anyone in crypto.
I’ve been using it for a year for exploring governance, and the low fees stands out. Charts are accurate and load instantly.
I personally find that i trust this platform — withdrawals are accurate charts and reliable. Charts are accurate and load instantly.
Hi colleagues, how is all, and what you desire to say regarding this piece of writing, in my view its truly awesome in favor of me.|
You’re so awesome! I do not think I have read through anything like that before. So good to discover someone with a few genuine thoughts on this topic. Seriously.. thanks for starting this up. This website is one thing that’s needed on the web, someone with a bit of originality.
I think this is one of the most important info for me. And i’m glad reading your article. But want to remark on some general things, The web site style is ideal, the articles is really excellent : D. Good job, cheers|
I’m not that much of a online reader to be honest but your sites really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your website to come back in the future. All the best|
Wow, this post is pleasant, my younger sister is analyzing these things, therefore I am going to let know her.|
Heya just wanted to give you a brief heads up and let you know a few of the images aren’t loading properly. I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different browsers and both show the same results.|
Evan here — I’ve tried cross-chain transfers and the intuitive UI impressed me.
I personally find that the transparency around easy onboarding is refreshing and builds trust. Charts are accurate and load instantly.
all the time i used to read smaller articles or reviews that also clear their motive, and that is also happening with this paragraph which I am reading at this place.|
Thanks , I’ve recently been searching for information approximately this subject for a while and yours is the greatest I have discovered so far. However, what concerning the conclusion? Are you sure concerning the source?|
Awesome article.|
Good web site you’ve got here.. It’s difficult to find good quality writing like yours these days. I really appreciate people like you! Take care!!
It’s difficult to find well-informed people on this topic, however, you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
You really make it appear really easy together with your presentation however I find this topic to be really something which I feel I would by no means understand. It seems too complex and extremely extensive for me. I’m looking forward for your subsequent post, I’ll attempt to get the hang of it!|
I switched from another service because of the wide token selection and easy onboarding. My withdrawals were always smooth.
The portfolio tracking tools are accurate charts and useful analytics. Support solved my issue in minutes.
Hello there, I discovered your website by means of Google while looking for a similar subject, your website came up, it appears good. I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
I personally find that the interface is clear transparency, and I enjoy cross-chain transfers here. The mobile app makes daily use simple.
Greetings! Very helpful advice in this particular post! It’s the little changes that produce the largest changes. Many thanks for sharing!|
A motivating discussion is worth comment. I do believe that you ought to write more about this issue, it may not be a taboo subject but generally people do not discuss such topics. To the next! Best wishes.
Greetings! Very helpful advice within this post! It’s the little changes which will make the most important changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!
I seriously love your site.. Great colors & theme. Did you develop this site yourself? Please reply back as I’m trying to create my own personal website and would like to find out where you got this from or exactly what the theme is named. Appreciate it!
Thank you for the good writeup. It actually was a enjoyment account it. Glance advanced to far delivered agreeable from you! By the way, how can we keep in touch?|
Howdy! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading through this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He constantly kept preaching about this. I’ll send this post to him. Pretty sure he will have a good read. Thanks for sharing!