In Absence of North Hamilton Bridge, Several Ferry Crossings Existed
by Harmon Jolley
posted November 11, 2007
A first-draft plan for a new toll bridge connecting Soddy-Daisy and Harrison has recently been in the headlines. Presently, those who live in northern Hamilton County must travel both sides of a very long “V” along Highway 153 and Highway 58 in order to reach the opposite shore of the Tennessee River.
I remember thinking how much that such a bridge was needed back when we were involved in a pre-season baseball tournament. Each day of the competition, parents had to travel the long way around from Middle Valley to Snow Hill. It was tempting to investigate the price of an amphibious vehicle.
In the period before the prevalence of automobiles, there were several east-west routes that connected the two sides of the Tennessee River in northern Hamilton County. To cross the river, a ferry was employed.
According to “Journal of East Tennessee History,” some of the ferries were originally run by the Cherokees who lived here before the Euro-American influx. After the Indian removal of the 1840’s, some of the pioneer families of Hamilton County operated the ferries.
Though the automobile had already begun to change transportation in Chattanooga, some of the ferries were still named on a 1933 map of Hamilton County by Rudolph Shutting. As a mapmaker and sketch artist, Mr. Shutting was known not only for his excellent depictions of Chattanooga, but also on projects he completed in 29 states, Canada, and Mexico. His works are a great legacy to those of us who try to construct a view of the past.
Here are some of the ferry crossings and routes shown on Rudolph Shutting’s 1933 map, which is archived at the Chattanooga Hamilton County Bicentennail Library’s local history and genealogy department.
* DALLAS TO HARRISON
Chickamauga Dam and Reservoir had not been completed at the time of the 1933 map, though Mr. Shutting had indicated “future site of Chickamauga Dam” on it. So, the Tennessee River was much narrower than today, and certain spots allowed for a relatively easy crossing.
There is a natural corridor between the northern end of Big Ridge (called Gold Point Ridge on early mapps) and the ridge on Prairie Peninsula. Today, this spot is Dallas Bay, but in 1933, it was the fertile Dallas Hollow and cool springs of Prairie Creek. In the early 1800’s, Dallas had been a promising community and county seat, but lost population and seat of government to Harrison.
On the 1933 map, present-day Gold Point Circle South was called Harrison Ferry Road, while present-day Gold Point Circle North was the pre-TVA route of Hixson Pike. The Harrison Ferry connected to Bell Road south of Wolftever Creek in the Harrison community.
So important was the ferry to Harrison that a road called Daisy-Harrison Road intersected with Hixson Pike near the ferry. I was not able to validate this, but I assume that present-day Harrison Lane in Soddy-Daisy owes its name to this road.
* IGOU FERRY
The Igou ferry connected the Miller Grove community on the west shore to the Blue Springs community on the east side of the river. It was near the current location of the Sequoyah Nuclear Plant. Igou Ferry Road is still an address near Sequoyah. To the west, there is a portion of the road still in existence off Dayton Pike in Soddy-Daisy.
The Shady Grove community was already established in 1933, and has its own school. Snow Hill was marked on the eastern shore.
* McCALLIE FERRY
Before the impoundment of Chickamauga Reservoir, there were several islands up and down the length of the Tennessee River. This was the case near the McCallie ferry, which was south of Sale Creek island.
The McCallie ferry transported travelers between Sale Creek and the Salem community.
* DOUGHTRY/DAUGHERTY/DOUGHERTY FERRY
Spelled different ways on different maps, this ferry was called the Doughtry Ferry on the Shutting 1933 map. The ferry linked Birchwood to Sale Creek, and there was a Doughtry Ferry Road on both sides of the river. Today, there is a Daugherty Ferry Road on both sides.
In an older map of Hamilton County, the entire stretch of Hixson Pike from present-day Valleybrook is called Dougherty Ferry Road. The naming suggests that this was a very important ferry.
* BLYTHE AND OLD WASHINGTON FERRIES
Two ferries to the north of Hamilton County in Rhea County were eliminated in the 1990’s by the construction of bridges. Each ferry had been operating at the same location for hundreds of years.
Towards the end of the line for the Old Washington Ferry on Highway 30, I decided to treat the family to a floating journey home from a visit to relatives at Athens, Tennessee. It was a very different experience to look out the windows of our min-van and see the waves alongside us.
In a September 16, 1996 Chattanoga News-Free Press interview, the owner of the Washington Ferry said that he was working on a possible move of his business downstream to link Soddy-Daisy and Middle Valley with Highway 58. That move did not materialize, though a passenger ferry boat operated a few years during the Hamilton County Fair, and carried folks from Harrison Bay across to Chester Frost Park.
If you have information on the ferries of north Hamilton County, please send me an e-mail at jolleyh@bellsouth.net.
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The McCallie ferry linked the Sale Creek and Salem communities.
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