Martin’s Ferry Circa 1900
Jesse Mortsolf, Superintendent of the Hoopa Reservation, on the Martin’s Ferry circa 1900 [All photos colorized by Carl Young]
A wooden ferry was used to transport passengers, goods, and horse drawn wagons across the Klamath River. The settlement was originally part of Klamath County before the county was dissolved. The area is now within the boundaries of Humboldt County.
With progress came a need for a different means to cross the Klamath. The original Martin’s Ferry Bridge was erected in 1959, rehabilitated six short years later before emergency repairs were needed in 2008 due to a nearby slide that rendered the bridge unstable.
The bridge connects Bald Hills Road to the intersection of Highway 169.
To this day, a boat remains at Martin’s Ferry location.
Note: Carl Young brings back old photos to life by colorizing them. He often posts his enlivened photos on Humboldt County, California in pictures, old and new. Recently he shared this one with us. https://kymkemp.com/2022/01/30/bottles-up/
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>”The original Martin’s Ferry Bridge was erected in 1959, rehabilitated six short years later before emergency repairs were needed in 2008 due to a nearby slide that rendered the bridge unstable.”
Not rehabilitated. About 1/2 the bridge was taken out by the 1964 flood. You can see the steel components of the original bridge down in the Klamath river.
Original Mule/Wagon path over the Bald Hills was a major supply route to that area.
It still is… it is the quickest way to the coast from Witcheipec country.
That road has now been paved… except for 6 miles of the road which apparently the National Park seems to be blocking.
Go figure.
Did you mean 1859 instead of 1959? The clothes worn seem to be what women wore in the late 1800’s. Beautiful artic.
Article.
Bozo is referring to the Martins Ferry Bridge, erected in 1959, not to Martins Ferry, which is shown in the picture…
Cool pictures, especially the dugouts…
I gotta ask…
Why wouldn’t the passengers cross in the dugouts, and not on the ferry…???
Expense?
Surely their horses and or wagons would need to cross on the ferry…???
Pomp and circumstance…???
Did they switch coaches at martins ferry…???
Those ferry’s must have stunk to high heaven after hauling, mules, horses. cattle.
And look to be more set up for cargo..
“A wooden ferry was used to transport passengers, goods, and horse drawn wagons across the Klamath River.”
If you take your mules across on the ferry, you and the mules are a passenger.
Though I am sure foot traffic used it during high water as a safer alternative.
And Up River made a good point about how well dressed they were
So not about to get on the ferry.
Interesting. The pieces I read about the bridge classified it as a rehabilitation project in 1965 will zero mention of the ’64 flood. I should’ve pieced the two together. Thanks for the information.
Just thought I would post the chunk of the Martins Ferry Bridge that washed out in the ’64 flood that you are talking about…
Wonderful pictures, thanks!
The woman is wearing a wedding dress. It’s obviously a special occasion as they are dressed to the 9’s and very clean. No matter how you got up river it wasn’t easy and you weren’t wearing clean cloths traveling or living up river.
The dugout was probably part of the photo shoot as well. They didn’t just snap random pictures back then . They would also use a dugout to ferry passengers with little to no cargo. But I’m guessing the whole picture is staged as many were back then. Very cool either way and always nice to see old photos featuring natives and or settlers.
A boat remains to this day? Hmm, please ‘splain that.