Elaine and I recently camped at Pere Marquette State Park in Grafton Illinois. A mile or so south of the park the Brussels ferry shuttles vehicles across the Illinois river into Calhoun County, Illinois. Calhoun County is a sliver of land bounded by rivers on three sides. The Mississippi River on the west side, the Illinois River on the east, and the confluence of both rivers at the south end. The influence of the rivers is evident in the lush crops, large orchards, and abundant wildlife. During the winter months eagle watching is a popular pastime. The topography is varied with bluffs, rolling hills and flat bottom lands. On warm spring weekends the roads are filled with people from the St. Louis area, which is 30 miles to the south. One of the attractions to the area is its remoteness. Being surrounded by rivers the county's access is limited to one fixed bridge and four car ferries.
Two of the ferries cross the Illinois River. The Brussels ferry, north of Grafton, Illinois and the Kampsville ferry at Kampsville. Both of these ferries are run by the Illinois Department of Transportation and are free.
The other two ferries cross the Mississippi River, the Winfield ferry at Batchtown and the Golden Eagle ferry near Golden Eagle, Illinois. Fees are charged for the Mississippi ferries.
The Golden Eagle
Other area ferries are the Grafton ferry in Grafton, Illinois and the Ste. Genevieve ferry in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri about thirty miles south of St. Louis.
"Deer Plain"If your unsure about car ferries the only bridge into the county is in Hardin, Illinois. Built in 1930 and recently renovated this vertical lift bridge is eligible to be on the National Register of Historic Places. It is a unique bridge and worth the side trip.
The area around the confluence of the Mississippi, the Missouri, and the Illinois rivers is one of the country's best kept secrets. For more information on this beautiful area see http://www.greatriverroad.com/mgrindex.htm
Enjoy this little dity by the Well Hungarians about the Winfield Ferry
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