Yesterday when I was at “Roacher” as the town of Prairie du Rocher” is pronounced locally, I was told that the ferry was again operating, after being closed for high water. Here is what it looked like two days earlier, when I was told around dusk that the last ferry leaves around 5:00 (glancing at my watch I saw it was around 4 P.M.) and that the ferry was finished for the day. My informant, who was fishing, pronounced Illinois with the “s”, as “Ill-i-noiz”.
The ferry is the shortest way between Prairie du Rocher and it’s sister town of Ste. Genevieve. The closest bridge over the Mississippi River is some 20 miles downstream at Chester (for some reason they say they’re the home of Popeye), but at $12 per car for the ferry crossing, the bridge is the cheaper route.
Ferry prices.
The ferry parked.
Fishin’.
The way that ferry is anchored, it’s not going anywhere.
A barge passes, going downriver.
Turning in the opposite direction there is an impressive sunset over the railroad tracks.
