One Footstep out of a Long Journey
By: Arnold Richard Massengill
Copyright Š 2012 by Arnold Richard Massengill Cover design by Arnold Richard Massengill Book design by Arnold Richard Massengill All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review. Arnold Richard Massengill Visit my website at www.armassengill.com Published in the United States of America First Publishing January 2012
Introduction I mapped my trip from Bartlesville, Oklahoma to home in Tennessee as straight as possible knowing that my route would be keeping to the secondary roads most of the way. I had no idea where I would end up stopping as the trip progressed. Every once in a while my journey towards home leads to a place with an interesting story to be recorded in my own words and photos. Someone else might pass the same way and not bother to stop and see what’s under the rocks or have the same things strike their interest.. This day, being the second day of my journey east, would find me crossing the Mighty Mississippi River on a small ferryboat at the end of a seldom traveled, but important, two lane road. The diesel powered Dorena-Hickman ferryboat takes the same route back and forth from near Dorena, Missouri to the far western edge of Kentucky at Hickman. It’s the same route as has been the case for many years. The Dorena-Hickman ferry is the only ferry between Missouri and Kentucky. To the north it saves 80 miles of driving and to the south it saves 127 miles. I have to believe that most towns, regardless of size, have a story - some more interesting than others. My stop in Hickman, Kentucky would prove an interesting stop. I drove into the small downtown and the first thing I saw was a wall mural of Mark Twain. I stopped and got out to take a picture to add to my collection of wall murals from around the country. The picture of the wall mural was going to be my only picture until I encountered one of the locals. He came out of the bank building that displayed the mural and we struck up a conversation. He told me he grew up in the town, left for the west coast, came back years later and bought the bank building. He turned the down stairs into a living area for him and his wife. His son is an artist and jewelry maker, he did the mural but did not get to finish the wall before leaving for California to work on a movie. I was about to leave when he said “come with me, I want to show you what’s left of the main section of town here on Clinton street.” I told him I needed to park my truck out of the street and he said not to bother, so I left it there and followed him down the street.
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After driving for the better part of an hour towards the Mississippi River I came to this ferryboat that transports vehicles between Missouri and Kentucky. I did not see but a very few vehicles along the road and I was the only one at the ferry. I ask the young man if they waited for others and he just smiled and said that could be awhile. I drove onto the ferry and made ready for the trip across. 2
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The Dorena-Hickman ferry connects Missouri Route A and Route 77 near Dorena, Mo with KY Highway 1354 at Hickman, KY. Kentucky and Missouri are the only border states that are not directly connected by a road, making the ferry across the Mississippi River the only direct route between the two states. The ferry, located at river mile marker 922 from New Orleans, is half-way between Memphis and St. Louis on the Mississippi River. The ferry was first set up in 1840. Ferry boats attract folks for several reason, the least of all because it may be the shortest way to get from point A to point B. I have to think that anyone that arrives at a ferry boat similar to the Dorena Hickman will have a feeling of nostalgic romance and will take the ride across the river with thoughts of similar journeys by travelers from the past. Ferry boat rides have a way of locking you temporarily into a space that removes all the rest of the world around you. For the brief trip across whatever river, channel, or inner-costal waterway the feeling is the same. All the worries of the day vanish as long as one shore disappears behind you and the other shore appears out in front. I always get on a small ferry boat and wonder just how much longer will it be in service before a bridge takes it place or someone decides it is not cost effective to support the ferryboat route.
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The ferry from Dorman, Missouri docks about 3/4 mile from the south end of the small town of Hickman, Kentucky. The town is situated at the farthest western edge of Kentucky and sits on the bank of the Mississippi River. The river at the ferryboat crossing is a mile and a half wide and the ferryboat trip takes 20 minutes. The ferryboat service is scheduled to run every day provided the river is safe to cross - everyday except for Christmas day.
A welcome committee was standing along the river bank on the Kentucky side. It seemed a little odd but I didn't let it bother me. Besides, I was not planning on staying in the area long enough to be on their menu. In my research I did not find any reference to any ferry ever sinking, but maybe they have hope.
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Mark Twain once called Hickman, "The Most Beautiful Town On The Mississippi." An excerpt from his book - Life on the Mississippi, a non-fiction book by Mark Twain. ‘When I turned out, in the morning, we had passed Columbus, Kentucky, and were approaching Hickman, a pretty town, perched on a handsome hill. Hickman is in a rich tobacco region, and formerly enjoyed a great and lucrative trade in that staple, collecting it there in her warehouses from a large area of country and shipping it by boat; but Uncle Mumford says she built a railway to facilitate this commerce a little more, and he thinks it facilitated it the wrong way-- took the bulk of the trade out of her hands by 'collaring it along the line without gathering it at her doors.' _ He also wrote in the same book about the steamboat Gold Dust that exploded and burned in Hickman, KY on August 7th 1882 killing 17 people.
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I met the gentleman, standing in the picture to the right, as he came out of the brick building containing the wall mural of Mark Twain. I never got his name but he became my historical guide of Clinton street that passes in front of the LaClede Hotel. He grew up in Hickman and remembers the town before all the old building were torn down or destroyed by fire. He and his wife returned to Hickman and live in the brick building which used to be a bank. His son painted the mural but did not finish the job before having to leave for California. His plan was to use the entire wall and include a steamboat, locomotive, and goods carried by both modes of transportation, on and along the Mississippi River, during the rise and fall of Hickman, KY. 12
In 1817 the Kentucky legislature asked President James Monroe to purchase western Kentucky and western Tennessee from the Chickasaws. Monroe appointed Isaac Shelby of Kentucky and Andrew Jackson of Tennessee to negotiate with the Chickasaws. The purchase of western Kentucky and western Tennessee from the Chickasaw Indians was completed in 1818 . The price paid to the Indians by the United States Government was $300,000. The price figured out to be six cents an acre. The black fertile bottomlands were ideal for growing coveted wheat, corn, tobacco and cotton while the Mighty Mississippi River provided the means to transport local commerce. The picture on the right is of the courthouse of Fulton county. The county was formed in 1845 and named after Robert Fulton, the man responsible for inventing and building the first commercial paddlewheel steamboat. The courthouse sits at the highest vantage point in the county seat of Hickman, Kentucky. It was built in 1903 and remodeled in 1990-1991 to include modern conveniences. It has retained its outward Queen Anne and Dutch Colonial influence and is known to have the only known original operating Seth Thomas clock built in the tower. At one point in history Hickman was competing with Memphis, Tennessee as to which would become the largest town south of St Louis and north of New Orleans. The flood of 1937 probably had a lot to do in slowing down the growth prospects. After the flood of 1937 a flood wall was constructed between the downtown area and the river. The town never grew much after completion of the flood wall.
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Window and door paintings on Clinton Street
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The LaClede Hotel is a three-story hotel building constructed in 1898. It was designed with a horseshoe shaped main entrance and keyhole archways at other entrances. The sidewalk in front of the LaClede Hotel saw the foot steps of some famous people from the era. People like President William Howard Taft, Charles Lindberg, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, Mark Twain, Jesse James, and one of the most famous residents of the county, the legendary railroad engineer, John Luther ("Casey") JONES. As a youth, Jones lived for a time near Hickman, and at sixteen lived beside the tracks of the Mobile & Ohio Railroad (now abandoned) in the town of Cayce in the central part of Fulton County. George “Machine Gun” Kelly was friends with the local sheriff at the time and used the LaClede Hotel as a safe hideout. Jesse James was reported to have visited Hickman on several occasions and stayed at the famous LaClede Hotel. The story is told that on one occasion he and his gang put up at the hotel waiting for the payroll to arrive from St Louis. Authorities were notified and he left town before the steamboat arrived. At least one movie had scenes shot in Hickman. ‘The River Rat’ filmed in 1984 and staring Tommy Lee Jones, Martha Plimpton, and Brian Dennehy.
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The picture on the left shows the downtown area of Hickman viewed from the bluff. It shows what is left of the once thriving historical town. You can also see the flood wall that was constructed after the flood of 1937. The Mighty Mississippi River is in the background in both pictures. The bluff provided an advantage point for soldiers on both sides during the civil war as battles went back and forth. Hickman and Fulton county was supportive of the Confederates. 20
I left town heading east, found this fellow standing along the road pointing in the direction of the next story, well maybe... 21
“I always hope that little segments of my travels that are captured in pictures and words will inspire those that read them to slow down and look around.� A.R.M
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Final shot of the day. Kinda makes you want to stop and sit down.
Journey Books 2012