Nestled along the Stanislaus River sits the town of Knights Ferry. Now a popular place to begin river rafting on the Stanislaus, it was at one time one of the most important cities in the Gold Country. It is home to the oldest operating general store in the state and the longest covered bridge west of the Mississippi River and was visited by a future US President.
Knights Ferry was founded by Dr. William H. Knight in 1849. Dr. Knight had previously founded the town of Knight’s Landing in Yolo County in 1843. He had also played a part in the Bear Flag Revolt, being the person who informed Fremont of the advance of General Castro’s army and then being present when the Bear Flag was raised at Sonoma of June 14, 1846. With the discovery of gold, Knight moved in April 1849 to the Sierra foothills and established the town of Knights Ferry on the Stanislaus.
Dr. Knight was born in Baltimore in 1800 and began his medical practice there. Like many of his generation, he succumbed to the call of the West. He left his medical practice and became a mountain man and fur trader. By the late 1830’s he had settled in Sante Fe, married and become a Mexican citizen. In 1841, he moved from Sante Fe to Los Angeles and established a business there. In 1843, he moved to the Sacramento Valley and established the town of Knights Landing on the Sacramento River. It was in Knights Landing in 1846, that Knight’s wife learned about General Castro’s gathering of horses and movements against American settlers. With the discovery of gold in 1848, Dr. Knight moved to the banks of the Stanislaus and founded the town of Knights Ferry in April of 1849. Knight and his partner James Vantine operated a ferry which, at its height, netted a profit of $500 per day, which is the equivalent of $17,642 in 2021. Needless to say, Dr. Knight’s ferry made him a very wealthy man.
All this was not to last as Dr. Knight was murdered on the night of November 9, 1849 in Knights Ferry. His murderer remains unknown. After Knight’s murder, his business partner, Vantine, continued to operate the ferry and formed a partnership with John and Lewis Dent, whose sister, Julia, was married to a young Army officer named Ulysses Grant. While Grant would later rise to fame during the Civil War and serve as President of the United States, in the 1850’s he was a Captain in the army, stationed in California, deeply despondent, and it is in 1852 through 1854 that he visited his brothers in law at Knights Ferry. He was very impressed with their business ventures and contemplated starting a business in California when he left the Army. Grant left California in 1854, never to return.
In 1854, David Locke built a flour mill in Knights Ferry and in 1857, he built a bridge which replaced the ferry across the Stanislaus River. That bridge was destroyed in the “Great Flood” of 1862 and the current covered bridge was built as a replacement in 1863. Later, Locke’s mill served as a power plant. By 1871, the county seat had been moved to Modesto and the railroad bypassed the town. In the 1880’s Stanislaus County took over the operation of the covered bridge. Both CA 120 and CA 108 bypass the town. In 1985 the covered bridge was closed to vehicular traffic but it remains open for pedestrians.
In the town itself there are many historical structures to visit besides the bridge. There are the ruins of the Locke flour mill, the original cell for the county jail, the oldest continuously operating general store in California, the Lewis Dent house, built in 1851, the Knights Ferry Community Church, built in 1890 and the Miner’s Hall built in 1863 as a commercial building and dance hall which today houses the post office, library, ice cream parlor, and a small local craft shop. But the main attraction is the Knights Ferry Bridge, which at 330 feet in length is the longest covered bridge west of the Mississippi River. There are also camp grounds and river rafting opportunities available.
GETTING THERE: From 414 Mason Street get on Interstate 80 East and follow it to I-580 East. Take I-580 East to I-205 East towards Tracy/Stockton. Take I-205 to I-5 North. Take I-5 North to exit 461, CA 120 East toward Manteca/Sonora. Stay on CA 120 East until you come to Kennedy Road. Turn left on Kennedy Road and follow it until you reach Sonora Road. Turn left on Sonora Road and follow it to Knights Ferry. Knights Ferry is 110 miles and approximately two hours east of San Francisco.