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| Crossing the River on the Ferry |
| The Canal Street ferry service has been in continuous operation since 1827. The Algiers ferry's terminals are at the foot of Canal Street and, across the Mississippi River, at Algiers Point. Another boat, the Gretna ferry, departs Canal Street and goes upriver to Gretna. Before the construction of the Huey P. Long Bridge in neighboring Jefferson Parish in the 1930's (and the Greater New Orleans Bridge in the 1950's), the ferries were the only public forms of transportation available to cross the mighty Mississippi in the New Orleans area. Even trains had to be ferried across the river on boats designed for that purpose. One of my fondest childhood memories is taking the ride across the river and back on the Algiers ferry with my dad on his day off, just for a special outing. To commuters, it's simply part of the daily routine, but, to a child, it's a fine adventure! The ferries operate between 6 a.m.-midnight; they are free to pedestrians and bicylists, and cars are charged $1.00 from the westbank terminals only. The Algiers ferry provides a great view of the city from the river and the Algiers neighborhood has many historic places to visit. |
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| Ferry crossing the river at New Orleans, 1905 |
| Ferry at the Canal Street dock, on the occasion of Pres. Theodore Roosevelt's visit in 1905. During his stay in the city, he was taken on an excursion boat upriver to Audubon Park and boats of all description crowded the river, filled with citizens anxious for a glimpse of the president, including the ferry boat pictured above. |
| Above, the ferry boat Edwin Bisso at Canal Street, 1920; below, Algiers ferry, 1930's. |
| The Texas & Pacific Railroad's ferry transports cars from a passenger train across the river at New Orleans, 1938. (Photo credit: Texas & Pacific Railway) |
| The Algiers ferry at Canal Street landing, looking toward Algiers, 1930's |
| Canal Street ferry landing, 1948 |
| Algiers ferry, 1960 |
| Below, recent photos of the ferries. |
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| If you board a ferry on some fog-shrouded morning and find yourself sharing the railing with a cat and a butterfly, you must be in New Orleans on Mardi Gras day. |
| The Gretna ferry heads upriver. (Photo credit: Times-Picayune) |
| Above and below, Algiers ferry (Photo credit: Amaderdesh.com) |
| Ferry shares the dock with the steamboat Natchez on a foggy morning on the river. |
| Please don't use the 'Send Page' feature of your computer to send this entire page in an e-mail message or document format. If you'd like to share it, please just send the link. The link to this page is: http://old-new-orleans.com/NO_Ferry.html Old Algiers Old Duverje Chapel and Cemetery, Algiers Back to Old New Orleans |
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