Site of First Ferry and Bridge

Duane's take

Here's how the official marker tells it: and it's a story worth hearing. About three hundred feet west of where you're rolling right now, the Trinity River once stood between Dallas and everything else. And somebody had to do something about that.

That somebody was John Neely Bryan, born 1810, died 1877, the founder of Dallas himself. Back in 1842, Bryan started the first ferry on the Trinity River right at this spot. You picture it: a rope, a flat-bottomed boat, and a whole lot of ambition.

That's how people crossed. That's how goods crossed. That's how a city started to breathe.

Now, Dallas being Dallas, ambition has a way of compounding. A man named Alexander Cockrell, born 1820, died 1858, came along and decided a ferry wasn't going to cut it for long. Cockrell was an early builder and developer, and in 1854, he replaced that ferry with a wooden toll bridge.

A real, honest-to-goodness bridge. And that crossing, right there, three hundred feet to your west, played an important part in the development of the city. Not a small part.

An important part. Those are the marker's words, and they're chosen carefully. A ferry in 1842.

A bridge in 1854. Two men, twelve years apart, and a river that stopped being a barrier and started being a thoroughfare. Dallas grew up from crossings like this one.

What the marker says

(About 300 feet West) First ferry on the Trinity River at Dallas was started here, 1842, by John Neely Bryan (1810 - 1877), the founder of Dallas. Alexander Cockrell (1820 - 1858), early builder and developer, replaced ferry with wooden toll bridge, 1854. This crossing played an important part in the development of the city. (1968)