Ray's Ferry in

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, United States, is the point along

Bayou Boeuf Kraemer is a census-designated place (CDP) in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 934. Its ZIP code is 70371. It is also known as Bayou Boeuf. Demographics Education Lafourche Parish Public ...

Avoyelles Parish Avoyelles () is a parish located in central eastern Louisiana on the Red River where it effectively becomes the Atchafalaya River and meets the Mississippi River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 39,693. The parish seat is Marksvil ...

, at which the road between

Opelousas Opelousas (; ) is a small city and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190 were constructed with a junction here. According to the 2020 census, Opelousas has a population of 15,786, a 6 ...

and Marksville crossed the waterway. A

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

service operated here from 1816. It is unknown how long the ferry was in service. The name comes from the individual, Reuben Ray, licensed to operate the ferry service. Ray was granted a permit from the State of Louisiana on September 19, 1816, to "keep a ferry across the Bayou Boeuf on the main road leading from Opelousas to Avoyelles". The permit can be inspected at the Court Archives of Saint Landry Parish, Courthouse, Opelousas, LA. In 1816, the main road from Opelousas to Avoyelles Courthouse served as an important connection between North and South Louisiana. The streams and bayous of this region were formidable barriers to over land travel. Bridge crossings were not only very expensive to build and maintain but obstacles to waterborne commerce. In order to encourage immigration and settlement of the new state, adjacent property owners along the few main roads that existed were often enlisted to provide a means of crossing nearby streams. These ferry crossings or landings became integral links in the developing road network. Reuben Ray and family acquired about 640 acres along the east bank of Bayou Boeuf in 1812 three miles from the closest settlement, which was Cheneyville.

James Bowie James Bowie ( ) (April 10, 1796 – March 6, 1836) was an American military officer, landowner and slave trader who played a prominent role in the Texas Revolution. He was among the Americans who died at the Battle of the Alamo. Stories of him ...

was a close neighbor between 1814 and 1816. Then a young man, he survived by cutting timber and barging it down the bayou to be sold in New Orleans. Years later he became a hero of the Texas Revolution dying in the siege of the Alamo. But, cultivation of cotton and corn were the staple crops supporting the Ray family. Around 1846 reversals in family finances forced sale of land holdings along the bayou and the family removed to southwest Rapides Parish near Glenmora. Apparently, portions of the main road described in the permit have become Louisiana Highway 115. Today, a modern bridge carries LA 115 across the bayou at this historic site roughly two miles west of

Bunkie, Louisiana Bunkie is a city in Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,171 at the 2010 census. History Bunkie was founded as a station terminus on the Texas and Pacific Railroad line. It was named for the daughter (whose nicknam ...

. Ray's Ferry appears on General Land Survey maps of the era, notably: Map of Louisiana, Constructed from the Surveys in the General Land Office, and other documents by John Melish. In the 1821 case of ''Baldwin v Stafford'' before the Supreme Court of Louisiana,Condensed Reports of Cases in the Superior Court of the Territory of Orleans, Vol. 2 the boundary between Post of Opelousas and Post of Rapides was fixed at Ray's Ferry. The Posts of Opelousas and Rapides were established by the Spanish colonial government. Under American administration they were abolished and replaced by a number of civil parishes including St. Landry, Rapides, and Avoyelles. A Louisiana historic marker provides information on the crossing in both English and French.

References

{{Coord, 30, 57, 1, N, 92, 13, 25, W, display=title Geography of Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana Ferries of Louisiana Transportation in Louisiana History of Louisiana

See also

References