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The Modern Ferry
located at the Moro Bay State Park
Bradley County, Arkansas |
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The Tug
The ferry has two sections: the tug and the barge. The tug was powered
by this 371 Detroit Diesel engine. Top speed was approximately 15
m.p.h., but the engine was built for power, not speed. According to one
ferry pilot.
"You could outrun this thing, with a little flat bottom boat, but you
couldn't out-pull it with a team of government mules."
Pilots' Licenses
Even though the ferry only made short trips back and forth across the
Ouachita River, the pilots were required to be trained and duly licensed
by the United States Coast Guard.
Driving the barge even the short distance across the river required
patience and a good degree of skill, especially on days when the river
was up and the pilot had to navigate across a strong current.
The Barge
This 60-foot barge carried the passengers, cars, buses, trucks, and
other vehicles across the river. It could carry six passenger vehicles,
or one large vehicle up to 64,000 pounds.
This "floating bridge" was operated by the Arkansas Highway and
Transportation Department from 1965 until 1992. The ferry was considered
an extension of Arkansas Highway 15.
Deck Hand Quarters
This small room was "home" to the deck hand during his 8-hour shift. It
houses the ramp control lever and the daily statistic sheets. These
sheets were used to keep a count of the traffic on the ferry. The room
was also served as a shelter from sun and bad weather, and it was a
storage area for personal items such as lunches, rain gear, and even a
small radio "to liven the place up."
You are standing in Arkansas' West Gulf Coastal Plain Natural
Division
Around you are deposits of ancient oceans which were uplifted then
eroded into these rolling hills and lowlands. This region has rich
forests, and abundant wildlife. Major rivers are the Saline, Little
Missouri, Red and the Ouachita. One of Arkansas' six natural divisions,
the West Gulf Coastal Plain, covers the southwestern portion of the
state and extends south almost to the Gulf of Mexico.
Features of the West Gulf Coastal Plain Natural Division
General Forest Type: loblolly pine-bottomland hardwood
Large commercial pine plantations
Scattered, unique prairies
White chalk bluffs
Rock and mineral deposits include: diamonds, bauxite, gypsum, lignite,
oil, and natural gas.
Traveling Through the Gulf Coastal Plain
Travel in this part of Arkansas Territory was difficult and dangerous.
Bears, wildcats, and wolves roamed the thick forest, and footing changed
from solid to swamp in an instant. Pools of standing water were breeding
grounds for mosquitoes.
Most people passing Moro Bay were going down the river rather than
across it. The Ouachita River was a main route of travel for Indians,
trappers, traders, and explorers.
The Modern Ferry
In the 1940's private interest in ferry operation waned. After over 100
years of operation, the ferry closed, yet the need to cross the river
between Hermitage and El Dorado remained. In the 1960's the Arkansas
Highway Department began to operate the ferry you see here. Quietly and
consistently about 150 times each day, the new Moro Bay Ferry journeyed
across the river.
"If everything is right, well there's not much to it. But if you have
one of them windy, rainy, dark nights, you can't see, and the water's
up, well just everybody can't do it." - Ferry Pilot
"It gets kind of aggravating in a way, but its not monotonous 'cause you
don't know what the next people are going to do when they come down (to
the ferry)." - Ferry Pilot
Rivers were dangerous obstacles. Crossing a river this size would
take days of preparation and hours for the crossing - if nothing went
wrong. A ferry made the crossing quick and easy, but expensive.
In 1828, the year of the first recorded ferry at Moro Bay, a ferry
keeper in Clark County charged $1 to cross a wagon or cart, 12 1/2 cents
for each person and each horse, and 6 1/4 cents per head of cattle,
hogs, or sheep. A dollar was a lot of money in the early 1800s; men
doing compulsory road work received only one dollar for each day they
worked.
Road Signs
These are the actual signs which vehicles encountered as they approached
the landing and prepared to board the ferry. These signs were designed
to give ferry passengers instructions to insure their safety, as well as
the safety of other passengers and the ferry crew.
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