FERRY BOATS TAME MIGHTY MISSISSIPPI

If ferry boats were living creatures, most of them would be on a list of endangered species.

At one time there were thousands of small ferries in America. Where there was a river too deep to ford or too wide to bridge, a ferry boat connected people who lived on either side. Ferry boats carried crops and animals to market and people to and from farms and towns. They formed a social and economic link between two areas that otherwise were cut off.

The early ferry boats were powered by horses that pulled them with ropes. Others were powered by a river's current while tethered to a stationary guideline. Some were propelled by people pushing long poles against the river bottom.

When cars came along so did more ferries because cars couldn't cross the small rivers and streams that horses and wagons could.

As cars got bigger, and the network of interstate highways and bridges began to grow, smaller ferries began to disappear.

Some states still have a few small, privately-operated ferries. The Louisiana Department of Transportation operates a fleet of ferry boats between Lake Providence and New Orleans. It carries people and goods across the Mississippi River because a bridge there is impractical or too costly.

At one time there were many small ferries on the Mississippi River between St. Louis and Memphis. They included the Tower Rock ferry at Grand Tower, Ill.; the Tiptonville, Tenn., ferry; and the Columbus, Ky.-Belmont, Mo., ferry.

Some ferries still operate on the Mississippi above St. Louis.

Until the river bridge was constructed at Cape Girardeau, the ferry boat was the only way to cross the river. At what is now Trail of Tears State Park, Green's Ferry transported people and livestock between Missouri and Illinois.

Today, only three ferries remain in operation in the area. Two are family-owned and operated, and each depends on tourism, local traffic and farming.

The oldest of the three is believed to be the Cave-In-Rock, Ill., ferry in Hardin County. It operates on the Ohio River and dates back to 1808.

The Hickman, Ky., ferry crosses the Mississippi River to Dorena, Mo., at river mile 922. It is owned and operated by the same family who started it in 1840.

The Ste. Genevieve ferry, owned by Ste. Genevieve-Modoc Ferry Inc., made up of stockholders on both sides of the river, serves the historic French Colonial region of Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois. It connects the Illinois towns of Modoc and Prairie du Rocher with Ste. Geneveive.

The ferry's roots can be traced to Mark Twain's "Life on The Mississippi;" however, regular traffic at that point on the river dates back to the 17th century. Then, Illinois French colonists crossed over to Missouri to process salt and take back lead from Missouri's Lead Belt.

The Ste. Genevieve and Hickman ferries resumed operation last month after lengthy shutdowns. How long they remain in operation now could depend upon financial support from the states of Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee. The ferry operators say mounting expenses and dwindling traffic and revenues may eventually force them to shut down unless they receive financial help from the states.

Ron Inman is determined to make the Ste. Genevieve ferry, in which he is an investor, a success. "We want it to pay off," said Inman.

The Ste. Genevieve ferry opened June 1 and was immediately swamped with traffic headed to the 22nd annual Summer Rendezvous at Fort de Chartres, Ill. Without the ferry, visitors would have had to drive 50 miles by crossing the Mississippi at Chester, Ill.

Inman said the ferry serves the recreational, commercial and public needs on both sides of the river. He said the ferry is used by farmers on both sides of the river to transport heavy equipment and to boost commercial and public travel.

Hugh Lattus, who owns the Hickman-to-Dorena ferry, said it resumed operation May 6. Lattus and his son, Don, crop farm more than 2,000 acres of river bottomland in Missouri and west Kentucky. They use the ferry to carry their farm equipment back and forth.

But the ferry also provides a vital economic link with Missouri to the towns of Hickman, Ky., and Union City, Tenn., and nearby Reelfoot Lake. If it were not for the ferry at Hickman, Missouri motorists would have to cross the river at Caruthersville or Cairo, Ill.

Tom Patton said the Cave-In-Rock ferry has been in his family since 1974. The Pattons also operate a tug service for commercial bargelines on the Ohio River, taking barges in and out of tow for the big-line boats. That helps cover some of the expenses of the ferry operation.

Although much of the tourist business has bypassed Cave-In-Rock in favor of nearby Interstate 24, Patton said he still gets a lot of traffic. In the fall, loaded trucks of grain cross over from Kentucky to take their grain to elevators in Mount Vernon, Ill.

Until 1979, the Cave-In-Rock ferry operated 24 hours a day. "We had two ferry boats operating each way because of the traffic," Patton said. But mounting expenses and declining traffic forced Patton to reduce the hours of operation from 6 a.m. to 5:40 p.m. seven days a week.

Patton, Inman, and Lattus said they must have some kind of subsidies from the states to stay in operation. At Hickman, a three-state consortium has been created to obtain funding for the ferry and eventually operate it. But for now, the three said they will continue to try to operate on their own.