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.
22,055 responses to “Hand-pulled ferries across the Sabine and Rio Grande”
I could not refrain from commenting. Exceptionally well written.
The testing new tokens tools are wide token selection and useful analytics. Definitely recommend to anyone in crypto.
Casey here — I’ve tried trading and the quick deposits impressed me.
I’ve been using it for a month for trading, and the quick deposits stands out. The dashboard gives a complete view of my holdings.
I personally find that i’ve been active for several months, mostly for learning crypto basics, and it’s always seamless withdrawals.
I used to be able to find good info from your content.
Your style is very unique in comparison to other people I’ve read stuff from. Thanks for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I’ll just bookmark this site.
Good post. I learn something new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon on a daily basis. It’s always interesting to read through articles from other authors and practice something from other websites.
Fast onboarding, great support, and a team that actually cares. Definitely recommend to anyone in crypto.
This excellent website certainly has all the info I needed about this subject and didn’t know who to ask.
You’ve made some really good points there. I looked on the internet to learn more about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this website.
Very great post. I simply stumbled upon your blog and wished to say that I have truly loved browsing your blog posts. In any case I will be subscribing for your feed and I am hoping you write again very soon!
Do you mind if I quote a couple of your posts as long as I provide credit and sources back to your webpage? My blog is in the very same area of interest as yours and my visitors would genuinely benefit from some of the information you provide here. Please let me know if this ok with you. Thanks!
You made some clear points there. I looked on the internet for the issue and found most individuals will approve with your site.
It’s appropriate time to make some plans for the future and it’s time to be happy. I have read this post and if I could I want to suggest you some interesting things or advice. Perhaps you could write next articles referring to this article. I wish to read more things about it!
The interface is quick deposits, and I enjoy exploring governance here. Perfect for both new and experienced traders.
I was skeptical, but after almost a year of checking analytics, the intuitive UI convinced me.
Skyler here — I’ve tried swapping tokens and the easy onboarding impressed me.
I personally find that i’ve been using it for a few days for swapping tokens, and the intuitive UI stands out.
The best choice I made for swapping tokens. Smooth and easy onboarding.
The interface is seamless withdrawals, and I enjoy providing liquidity here. I moved funds across chains without a problem.
Thanks , I have just been searching for info about this topic for a long time and yours is the greatest I’ve found out so far. However, what concerning the bottom line? Are you certain about the supply?|
Definitely believe that that you stated. Your favorite justification appeared to be at the net the easiest thing to take into account of. I say to you, I definitely get irked whilst other people consider worries that they plainly do not recognise about. You controlled to hit the nail upon the highest and defined out the whole thing with no need side-effects , other folks can take a signal. Will probably be back to get more. Thanks|
Your style is very unique in comparison to other people I have read stuff from. Many thanks for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I will just bookmark this page.|
If you are going for most excellent contents like myself, just visit this web site all the time because it offers feature contents, thanks|
Hello my loved one! I want to say that this article is amazing, nice written and include almost all important infos. I’d like to peer more posts like this .|
Everything is very open with a precise explanation of the challenges. It was truly informative. Your site is extremely helpful. Many thanks for sharing.
Greetings, I believe your blog might be having web browser compatibility problems. When I take a look at your web site in Safari, it looks fine however when opening in I.E., it has some overlapping issues. I merely wanted to give you a quick heads up! Aside from that, fantastic website!
Nice post. I learn something new and challenging on blogs I stumbleupon everyday. It’s always exciting to read articles from other writers and use something from their websites.
Hello! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any issues with hackers? My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing months of hard work due to no backup. Do you have any solutions to stop hackers?|
I truly love your website.. Great colors & theme. Did you build this web site yourself? Please reply back as I’m planning to create my own website and want to find out where you got this from or what the theme is called. Cheers.
I personally find that i was skeptical, but after half a year of providing liquidity, the robust security convinced me.
I personally find that the best choice I made for exploring governance. Smooth and trustworthy service.
The exploring governance tools are great support and quick deposits.
I personally find that customer support was helpful, which gave me confidence to continue. The updates are frequent and clear.
Howdy! Someone in my Facebook group shared this site with us so I came to take a look. I’m definitely loving the information. I’m bookmarking and will be tweeting this to my followers! Outstanding blog and outstanding design and style.|
Greetings! Very useful advice in this particular post! It is the little changes that produce the most important changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!|
Excellent post. I was checking continuously this blog and I am impressed! Very helpful info specifically the last part 🙂 I care for such information a lot. I was looking for this certain information for a very long time. Thank you and good luck.|
If some one needs to be updated with most recent technologies afterward he must be pay a visit this site and be up to date daily.|
This paragraph presents clear idea in support of the new visitors of blogging, that in fact how to do blogging and site-building.|
Wow! This is a cool platform. They really do have the reliable uptime. Perfect for both new and experienced traders.
Fantastic beat ! I wish to apprentice while you
amend your website, how can i subscribe for a blog web
site? The account helped me a acceptable deal.
I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided bright
clear idea
Hi! I just wish to offer you a huge thumbs up for your excellent info you have here on this post. I will be coming back to your site for more soon.|
The interface is accurate charts, and I enjoy swapping tokens here. Support solved my issue in minutes.
The exploring governance tools are low fees and quick deposits.
I’ve been active for almost a year, mostly for using the bridge, and it’s always scalable features.
I’ve been active for recently, mostly for checking analytics, and it’s always fast transactions.
I personally find that this platform exceeded my expectations with stable performance and low fees. My withdrawals were always smooth.
The best choice I made for staking. Smooth and intuitive UI. The mobile app makes daily use simple.
A motivating discussion is worth comment. I believe that you need to write more about this subject, it may not be a taboo matter but usually people do not speak about such subjects. To the next! Kind regards!