Crossing the Mississippi

Before a bridge crossed the Mississippi River at Vicksburg in 1930, train cars reached Louisiana on transfer boats, or ferries for trains. Inclines at Kleinstown in Vicksburg and Delta Point in Louisiana were built from June to October 1885, and the first train crossed the Mississippi by transfer steamer on October 27, 1885. These inclines used a cradle that could be raised or lowered with the river's changing level. The first two transfer boats, Northern Pacific and Delta, served until the turn of the century. Later, the Louisiana and Mississippi Valley Transfer Company operated the Pelican and the Albatross at Vicksburg. Pelican was built in 1902 by the Iowa Iron Works at a cost of $280,000. Albatross followed in 1907, also built by the Iowa Iron Works, and measured 308 feet long, 53.8 feet wide, drew 7 feet 6 inches, and was powered by six boilers. These boats carried trains across the river day and night until the highway rail bridge was completed in 1930, making the crossing faster and safer.

Vicksburg, Louisiana · United States