Caldwell County MO Archives History .....SOME HISTORY OF THE FORDS IN CALDWELL COUNTY 
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Karen Walker khw4@yahoo.com September 4, 2008, 1:07 pm

SOME HISTORY OF THE FORDS IN CALDWELL COUNTY
	Narrators:  George Streeter and E.G. Wallace

     Both these narrators knew Caldwell county before the day of many bridges 
over the numerous streams.  hence they knew the day of crossing creeks by 
fords.  While the following named fords do not include all of those used by 
the old timers, yet they may illustrate the usage.  It will be noticed also 
that most of the bridges were put on the spots of familiar fords.
     In the beginning, there are some old stories connected with the fords 
which should be told:  In 1891, at Kenney's Ford over Shoal Creek, Wm. 
Brazelton and Garrett Clute of Kingston were almost drowned when trying to 
cross the creek, up to an unusual height, with wagons loaded with goods.
     In 1883, when George J. Redhair and wife of Catawba were returning from 
Breckenridge where they had been trading that day, they struck the ford after 
night, and not knowing that it had risen they went into Mud creek as usual.  
They were both drowned and their bodies were found the next day.  They are 
buried in the Black Oak cemetery.  Then there is the story told by Mr. Wallace 
about Jim Houghton who had just brought his bride here from N.Y. in 1875.  
They had been to town to buy an outfit and on return found the Otter creek 
swollen at the ford, but thought they could risk it.  They had quite an 
experience, by the upset of the wagon and the loss of some things, but escaped 
to the shore, out of the water.  They lived in N.Y. township.  During the 
middle 80s while the covered bridge this side of Kingston was under repair, 
travelers had to use the ford near by which the early settlers used up the 
steep banks. 
     William Guffey and E.G. Wallace both brought to mind the ford of the 
Crooked river in Rockford township which indeed gave the name of Rock ford to 
the township.  This ford is quite historic with two stories; it is said that 
an Indian battle occurred there about a hundred years before white settlers 
came; then it is the authenticated road over which the Mormons made their 
entrance into Caldwell county from the south in 1836.
     Both the last named men recalled the fords in N.Y. township.  On the road 
to Breckenridge, there was the old ford at Haun's Mill and the historic Mormon 
town ford, both Mormon sites used by these people in the Mormon occupation.  
There was the Cotton wood ford on the road to Hawk's Mill and the ford at 
Filson's Mill, both well travelled by early settlers going to mill.  There was 
a ford over Otter creek (not the one of the Houghton disaster), and on the 
road to Kingston from that part, there was the James ford over which James 
bridge was later built.
     Besides these fords, Mr. Streeter mentioned the Jones ford over Long 
creek, Cox's ford over Shoal, which was bridged 1888, Tobbin's ford in Davis' 
township, Snyder's ford in N.Y. twp. over the Mud creek, and Henkin's ford 
which was bridged some later by the familiar Henkin's Bridge.  The Mapes ford 
near Kingston is mentioned as a baptizing place of the 80s.
     Interviews  1934 and earlier.


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