Near Site of Lodi Ferry

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the near site of Lodi Ferry, out in Wilson County. Now, before there was a bridge, before there was even a proper road crossing, there was a river. The San Antonio River, winding through Wilson County, and for most of the 19th century, if you wanted to get across it, you found yourself a ford and you hoped for the best.

That was the situation all the way into the late 1800s. Natural fords, nothing more. No bridges, no ferry, just you and the current.

But let's back up even further, because this land has a long story. European settlement of this area goes all the way to the early 18th century, when missions were being established in San Antonio, and the herdsmen from those missions used this very stretch of country as grazing land for livestock. So people had been moving through here, working this land, for a good long while before anyone thought to do something about that river crossing.

Then came 1871. The Wilson County Commissioners Court took a good look at the situation and declared, officially, that a ferry was needed. Now here's where it gets interesting.

To sweeten the deal for any willing ferryman, the court offered to waive licensing fees for the first five years. On top of that, whoever took up the work could charge the highest fee allowable under state law. That is not a bad arrangement, friends.

The man who stepped up was Nemencio de la Zerda the Second. He owned land along the river near the mouth of Chiver Creek, and he set up his ferry operation on the east bank of the San Antonio River, at the community of Lodi, about one mile north of what would become the center of Floresville. De la Zerda was no stranger to this country.

He was an area native, a Confederate veteran, and a man with deep roots in his community. He served as Lodi's justice of the peace, as county sheriff, and as tax collector. The man wore a lot of hats.

And then there's the detail that family tradition passed down through the years. Near his boat, de la Zerda hung a bell. Travelers coming up to the riverbank would ring that bell when they wanted to cross.

Picture it: a quiet morning on the San Antonio River, the water moving slow, and somewhere on the far bank, a bell rings out across the water. Lodi itself had grown up along the Old San Antonio to La Bahia Road, which brought a steady flow of commerce through the area. Traders hauling their wares, folks moving between communities, all of them needing a way across that river.

The ferry provided exactly that. But ferries, like most things, have a season. In 1877, the de la Zerda family sold the operation to W.W.

Payne, and it later passed to Vicente J. Carvajal. The crossing changed hands, but it kept working, kept ringing that bell, kept hauling folks across.

Then came 1886, and the county built a free bridge nearby across the river. Free. You didn't have to wait, didn't have to ring a bell, didn't have to pay a soul.

And over time, as will happen, travelers stopped using the ferry altogether. What started with mission herdsmen grazing cattle along the San Antonio River, ran through the dreams of a Confederate veteran with a boat and a bell, and ended quietly when a bridge made the whole enterprise unnecessary. The river's still there.

The bell is long gone. But for a good stretch of Wilson County history, that ferry was the only way across.

What the marker says

European settlement of this area dates to the early 18th century with the establishment of missions in San Antonio, and missions herdsmen used this area as grazing land for livestock. Until the late 19th century, traveleres in this county crossed the San Antonio River at natural fords, with no bridges or other means to traverse the stream. In 1871, the Wilson County Commissioners Court declared the need for a ferry and decided to grant any potential ferryman a waiver of licensing fees for the first five years, as well as the ability to charge the highest fee allowable by state law. Nemencio de la Zerda, II owned land along the river near the mouth of Chiver Creek. He started a ferry operation on the east bank of the river at the community of Lodi, about one mile north of Floresville's center. De la Zerda, a Confederate veteran and area native, was active in his community, serving as Lodi's justice of the peace, as well as county sheriff and tax collector. Family tradition holds that near his boat he hung a bell that travelers would ring when they wanted to cross. The community of Lodi developed along the Old San Antonio-La Bahia Road, which brought a steady flow of commerce to the area, and the ferry provided a way for traders to haul their wares across the river. The de la Zerda family sold the ferry business in 1877 to W.W. Payne, and it later passed to Vicente J. Carvajal. In 1886, the county built a free bridge nearby across the river, and over time, travelers ceased using the ferry that had once provided local residents and travelers vital transportation access. (2006)