Name/Title
Ferry at Steven's BarEntry/Object ID
TP3996Description
Landscape-Ferry at Steven's Bar - unknown vintage. The 1862 California legislature approved the construction of a river bridge on the Tuolumne river near Jacksonville, to be built within one year. Tolls could be collected by the builders if this was accomplished. A ferry could also be established (awaiting the bridge construction I believe) and tolls collected. This appears to be a picture of that ferry in use. Five men stand on the ferry adjacent to a open air coach. It has a roof for shade but only side curtains for inclement weather. Those are tightly rolled up at the top. One man operates the controls to the ferry, another is adjacent to the horses to steady them. The other three must be the paying passengers of the coach service.
The foreground of the photo is a sandy bar on the near side of the river which is serving as the landing area for the ferry on the near side. A sandy bar is on the other side of the river to make the landing area there. A medium sized oak tree is at the right edge of the road at the landing area.
The road apparently goes left as a wagon and team as well as a rider wait there to get on the ferry on the return trip. The landscape on the other side can be seen to be very brushy and steep. Not country one would wish to walk through.
Since it is unlikely that a 35 mm camera was around to record this event, I assume that this is a copy negative (photo).
Type: PaperCollection
TCHS - Tuolumne County Historical Society