★ Due to a pilot shortage, we are currently only running on weekends. 6am - 5:30pm Friday & Saturday, 9am - 5:30pm Sunday
Est. 1798
The French Connection
Over Two Centuries ⸻
A History as
Wide as the River.
Over Two Centuries ⸻
A History as
Wide as the River.
A Living History
Over Two Centuries on
The Great River
The Ste. Genevieve–Modoc Ferry is one of the last remaining ferries on the Mississippi River. Its history stretches back to at least 1798 — through French colonial traders, railroad barons, colorful local characters, and the slow rhythms of life along one of the world's great waterways. It has carried farmers and truckers, cyclists and Sunday drivers, and at least a few souls who simply wanted to watch the wide current pass beneath them.
To board the ferry is to step into a tradition that predates Missouri's statehood, the Civil War, and the automobile. It is, in every sense, a living piece of American history.
Chapter I
French Colonial
Origins
The ferry's story begins in the French colonial world of the lower Mississippi Valley. Sainte Genevieve, Missouri — the oldest permanent European settlement in the state — was founded by French Creole colonists in the early 1700s, drawn to the rich bottomlands across from the Illinois country. Trade, agriculture, and family ties flowed constantly across the river, and a crossing at or near this location was essential to life on both shores.
The ferry's story begins in the French colonial world of the lower Mississippi Valley. Sainte Genevieve, Missouri — the oldest permanent European settlement in the state — was founded by French Creole colonists in the early 1700s, drawn to the rich bottomlands across from the Illinois country. Trade, agriculture, and family ties flowed constantly across the river, and a crossing at or near this location was essential to life on both shores.
Written records confirm the ferry's existence at this crossing as early as 1798, though the practice of crossing here almost certainly predates those records. The French had been navigating this stretch of the Mississippi for generations, and the relationship between Ste. Genevieve and the Illinois settlements — Prairie du Rocher, Fort de Chartres, Kaskaskia — was built on exactly the kind of river commerce this ferry made possible.
"The ferry's existence at this location can be traced through written records from the French colonial era — making it one of the oldest river crossings on the Mississippi."
— Ferry Historical Records
Chapter II
Iron Rails on
Moving Water
By the turn of the 20th century, the Industrial Age had come to the Mississippi. In 1904, the Missouri-Illinois Railroad began operating a purpose-built ferry at this crossing — not for passengers or wagons, but for entire railroad cars. Using an ingenious "cradle" system of rails and a hinged ramp, the railroad loaded freight cars directly onto the ferry deck and floated them across the river, connecting the rail networks of Missouri and Illinois at this point.
It was an engineering feat suited to its time — the Mississippi was wide, bridges were expensive, and the demand for cross-river freight movement was relentless. For more than fifty years, the railroad ferry kept commerce moving across this stretch of the river, becoming an unremarked-upon fixture of daily industrial life in the region.
The era ended in 1961, when the Missouri Pacific Railroad chose to reroute its trains via the bridge at Thebes, Illinois. The specialized cradle ferry was retired, and for a time, this crossing fell quiet.
Chapter III
Snap, Orville,
& Randy
Before the railroad era ended, the passenger ferry had its own colorful cast of characters. In the 1940s, the ferry was owned by Ardell "Snap" Curratt — proprietor of the local tavern in Modoc, a spot known as "Snap 'n Jules" (Jules being Snap's father-in-law). Snap was no ordinary ferryman; he later became Sheriff of Randolph County. His tavern was a local institution in the era of running boards and loose laws, and the Modoc waterfront had a reputation for being lively after dark.
By the mid-1960s, ownership had passed to Orville Albert — a local man of French and Indian heritage, born and raised in Prairie du Rocher, Illinois. His mother, Mary (Pelate), spoke only French until she entered school, a reminder of how close this community still was to its colonial roots. Orville ran an earth-moving business and took on the ferry as another enterprise.
It was Orville's son Randy who became the crossing's most memorable pilot. Randy Albert had never held a riverboat license — but on Sunday afternoons in the late 1960s, he piloted the ferry across to Ste. Genevieve anyway. Randy was a locally famous musician, and one of the bands he formed he called "Modoc Ferry." In a gesture of either devotion to the brand or pure mischief, he reportedly stole every road sign leading to the ferry landing.
"Randy Albert used to pilot the ferry to Ste. Genevieve on Sunday afternoons in the late 1960s, although he never was licensed as a riverboat pilot."
— Local Historical Account
Orville also carried with him a darker piece of the ferry's oral history — a story passed down from a previous owner, name unknown. On a late afternoon, the last crossing to Missouri before docking for the night, a man and his wife remained in their car as the ferry pushed off. Halfway across the river, the man started the engine, crashed through the safety chains, and both went into the Mississippi. Seven children were left orphaned. A suicide note found later spoke of betrayal. It is the kind of story a river keeps.
Chapter IV
The Modern
Crossing
The passenger ferry resumed operations in 1997, reviving a tradition that had defined this stretch of the Mississippi for two centuries. Since then it has operated as a vital connector between Ste. Genevieve and southern Illinois — serving local commuters, farmers, long-haul truckers, cyclists on the Great River Road, and visitors drawn by the region's deep historical roots.
Why It Matters
A Crossing of
Many Meanings
The ferry has never been just a way to get across the river. Over more than two centuries it has served as a commercial lifeline, a cultural bridge, and a rare survivor of a transportation tradition that has almost entirely vanished from the American landscape.
⸻ Explore Both sides ⸻
Plan Your Crossing
Come Ride The French Connection.
Questions about your crossing? Arranging a school group or special trip? Get in touch with the Ste. Genevieve Welcome Center — they'll have the current status and any information you need.
Welcome Center
573-880-6970
Missouri Landing
8205 Little Rock Rd, Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670
Illinois Landing
3482 Levee Rd, Modoc, IL 62261
© Ste. Genevieve – Modoc Ferry 2026