Re: 1800 river ferries
FLEENOR, HARDMAN, ROE
Posted By: Sharyl Ferrall (email) In Response To: 1800 river ferries (Carol)
Date: 3/13/2006 at 19:55:30
I doubt that your question can be answered with certainty, unless you discover a letter or other accounting that gives the details of your ancestor's journey. There were many ferry crossings in that time-period and your ancestors could have taken any number of them.
They could have traveled by railroad from their home, crossing the Mississippi at a number of points, even south of Dubuque at Davenport or Keokuk. They could have taken a flat boat or steamer up the river, disembarking at Dubuque or McGregor and then traveling inland to Butler & Floyd co. They could have traveled by team or ox-cart, crossing on a simple horse ferry.
This 1857 advertisement from the North Iowa Times (McGregor) is interesting:
"The Alex. McGregor makes regular connection with the Trains of the Milwaukee & Mississippi R. Road and Travellers need apprehend no detention on either side the River in their journey east or west. "Ellick" and "Oley" are ready at all times to assist you out of the State or into it, just as you choose!"These articles, on The Iowa History Project website, are informative & interesting:
http://iagenweb.org/history/palimpsest/dec1920.htmhttp://iagenweb.org/history/annals/jul1921.htm
I have never run across a reference to actual passenger lists for ferries. I'd also love to know if any were kept and are extant.
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