Elliott's Ferry

Duane's take

The way the marker at Elliott's Ferry tells it, here's how that story goes. Way back in the early days of Anglo-American colonization in Texas, the Matagorda Bay Prairie was a well-traveled corridor. People moving between settlements needed crossings, and a river without a crossing was just an obstacle.

So a ferry was established on the Thomas Cayce league of land near this very site. They called it Cayce's Ferry, and the site was even garrisoned by a small army post. That's how serious this crossing was to folks in those days.

Then came January of 1839. A man named George Elliott, born in 1806, purchased land on the west bank of the Colorado River from Thomas Cayce himself. From that moment on, people stopped saying Cayce's Ferry.

They started saying Elliott's Ferry. George Elliott didn't work that river alone, either. Two nephews, William Elliott and John Elliott, worked alongside him.

And when George Elliott died in 1862, those two kept the ferry running. The business didn't miss a beat. By 1863 a small settlement had grown up around the crossing.

A mercantile business took root. In 1872 a post office was operating there under the name Elliott's Ferry, Texas. Then in 1893 the post office name was changed simply to Elliott, Texas, and a year after that it was moved to Bay City.

The ferry had served its people long and well. But here's the thing about a good river crossing. Eventually, something stronger comes along.

In 1902 a bridge was built over the Colorado River, two miles northwest of Bay City. They called it the Old River Bridge. And its completion resulted in the demise of Elliott's Ferry.

From a man buying a patch of riverbank in 1839, to a bridge closing the chapter in 1902. Elliott's Ferry did its job. Then the river moved on.

What the marker says

During the early days of Anglo-American colonization in Texas, the Matagorda Bay Prairie area was an important route for people traveling between settlements. A convenient river crossing was a necessity, and a ferry was established on the Thomas Cayce league of land near this site. Known as Cayce's Ferry, the site was garrisoned by a small army post. In January 1839 George Elliott (1806-1862) purchased land on the west bank of the Colorado River from Thomas Cayce, and from that time the ferry crossing was known as Elliott's Ferry. George Elliott was assisted in his endeavors by two nephews, William Elliott and John Elliott, who continued the ferry business after George Elliott's death. By 1863 a small settlement had grown up around Elliott's Ferry. A small mercantile business and a post office known as Elliott's Ferry, Texas, were in operation in 1872. In 1893 the post office name was changed to Elliott, Texas, and a year later was moved to Bay City. In 1902 a bridge was built over the Colorado River two miles northwest of Bay City. Known as the "Old River Bridge", its completion resulted in the demise of Elliott's Ferry. Texas Sesquicentennial 1836-1986