Freestone County, Texas
Reflections



Wildcat Ferry, other towns farther downstream on the Trinity
By Bill Young


There are a couple of different stories pertaining to Wildcat Ferry and I am not sure which is correct. 
There is a possibility parts of each are incorrect while other sections are historically accurate. In the 
book “A Reconnaissance Survey of the Trinity River Basin,” archeologists from Southern Methodist 
University make the statement the Wildcat Ferry started in the 1840s. In “Old Northwest Texas, 
Navarro County — 1846-1860,” researched and written by Nancy Samuels and Barbara Knox, they 
state Wildcat Ferry was started by one of the Ingram brothers. If this was the case, then the ferry 
did not begin operation until sometime after 1856 when the Ingram brothers moved to Navarro 
County and purchased around 10,000 acres of land in the Rural Shade area. It is possible the ferry 
was already established and the owner sold his interest to one of the Ingram brothers. In the 
Samuels and Knox book, they wrote the Ingram brother who operated the ferry also operated a still 
and the whisky business was so good he sold the ferry to another individual. 
 
The archeologists with SMU wrote that the roads on the western side of the river leading to the 
crossing are oil topped and still in use today. They noted Wildcat Ferry was a major crossing in use 
until State Highway 287 was built in 1936. In their book, they stated the roads linked up the 
communities of Tennessee Colony, Malakoff, and Cross Roads but they failed to mention any 
connections with towns in Navarro County. Nor did they mention this road had anything to 
contribute to the transportation of people and goods between Palestine and Corsicana. In last 
week’s article, the archeologists made reference to the Ramsey Crossing as a link between Palestine 
and Corsicana but if you study a map of the area. Wildcat Ferry Crossing is in a fairly straight line 
between Palestine and Corsicana while the Ramsey Crossing was much farther to the north and out 
of the way. Since there were not any records kept pertaining to how many wagons or vehicles used 
a specific crossing, we will never be able to prove or disprove which was the preferred crossing. 
 
The archeologists wrote a few more lines about the crossing at Wildcat Ferry. They stated there 
used to be a two-story dog-trot house standing on the Anderson County side of the crossing. This 
house was built around 1900 but it was no longer standing when the archeological survey was done. 
They also noted there was an associated cemetery near the house marked only by a clump of 
hackberry trees. In the 1925-1936 time period, the ferry was owned by a man named Bailey and 
the land on either side of the crossing was rented by a Mr. Harris who farmed and also operated the 
ferry. The toll at the time was 75 cents to make the crossing. 
 
In the survey report, the archeologists mentioned the fact they surveyed 13 different ferry crossings 
on the Trinity River but they only discussed in any special detail the three ferry crossings I have 
presented in this and last week’s article. The same can be said for several of the flat bluff locations 
in our area. Whether these sites were ever utilized is not known. Where the Nipak facility was built 
just north of State Highway 31 or the big flat bluff area in Anderson County on U.S. Highway 287 
east of the Trinity River bridge and south of the highway are a couple of ideal areas where goods 
could have been loaded or unloaded without much difficulty. The archeologists did mention one 
other ferry crossing known as the Lindsey Bluff Ferry but I do not know where this site was located. 
They wrote there was an associated cemetery with this particular crossing due to periodical high 
water episodes of the Trinity which prevented persons from getting across the river. Who knows, 
there may have been a little cemetery at each crossing due to the exact same reason. 
 
Moving farther downstream into Freestone and Anderson Counties, there are some changes in the 
land forms along the river which affected the water tables within the Trinity River. Looking at 
several topography maps for the region around the river crossing on U.S. Highway 287, you will 
note a number of tributary streams entering the Trinity River. Upstream from Highway 287 is Cedar 
Creek which drains a large area from the mouth of the creek up to the Greenville area. Kings Creek 
is listed as a tributary of Cedar Creek but I wonder which of these two creeks is the larger. 
 
Then just to the south of U.S. Highway 287 the combined creeks of Richland and Chambers are 
located with their tributaries. Within the same flood plain but slightly farther downstream are 
Tehuacana and Cottonwood creeks. Two large tributaries contribute water to this drainage. Then Big 
and Little Brown Creeks combine into one more drainage entering into the same area from the west. 
Over on the Anderson County side of the river is Catfish Creek, a fairly large spring-fed drainage. All 
of these tributaries with their combined drainage contributed a lot of runoff into the Trinity Basin in 
this area. These streams and their contributed water is why the next towns on my list had enough 
water in the river to allow boat traffic to reach them on nearly every occasion. Any town I have 
written about farther upstream was constantly affected by the whims of the Trinity River and on 
many occasions were left high and dry for months on end. 
 
On the Anderson County side of the river to the south of Cayuga is a small community known as 
Yard. In the mid-1800s, it was known as Cook’s Plantation. Located on a high bluff over looking the 
Trinity, it was a stopping place for trading boats. There was an associated ferry located at the 
southern end of the bluff known as Cook’s Ferry which provided access to the flood plain on the 
other side. In the late 1800s the bluff was sold to a number of freed slaves and their families. The 
resultant town was named Yard and the bluff which was designated as a “sporting place” for the 
town was named Green’s Bluff. Around the turn of the century, Yard had its highest population and 
its economy was based on cotton and corn production. The town supported a church, general store, 
post office and a community center. When the river traffic and the resultant trade phased out, the 
community turned towards Palestine as an outlet for cotton and corn production which they still do 
today. Many of the older structures have disappeared but there is some evidence of the past. 
 
Next week: Pine Tree