Definitely the best way to cross the Father of Waters, the Mississippi River
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July, 2022 Visit
Our daughter discovered the band Greta Van Fleet early summer, 2022, and quickly found that they would be playing in Peoria, IL, and she recommended a road trip.
We had a great time, thanks in part to the drive from St. Louis to Peoria, via Calhoun County and eastern Illinois, off-the-interstate...
... which started by taking I-370 to Elm St. up to Highway B left/west to Golden Eagle Ferry road (plenty of signs to guide you)
This was the first time I have taken her on any of the local ferries in/around Calhoun County. The ferries are operated by IDoT / Illinois Department of Transportation, and are a lifeline for locals and us visitors.
Sure anyone could consider replacing each of the ferries with a bridge... and, thankfully the ferries remain.
1. they bring you closer, physically, to the Mississippi River, with the ferry's deck being about five feet (or less? above the top of the water)
2. They are the only way anyone used to be able to cross the continent's largest river (4th longest in the world, or 3rd, depending on who's measuring), so the ferries continue a bit of history+current life
3. A bridge replacing any/all of the ferries would take away from the beauty of views of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers, the views from the ferries, and from either/both shores... bridges are important and often beautiful in their own right, and they would also distract from the beauty of these rivers if they were built
Thankfully the Golden Eagle Ferry was running that Sunday afternoon; the line was not long and we were onboard and the moving quickly.
The pilot drove us across the river quite smoothly.
If anything the lone complaint is that the ride isn't longer... but you could always go back and forth multiple times; we just didn't have a chance, as...
... soon we were off to the first of our "World Tour Through Illinois" towns... Brussels and then later Glasgow, Manchester and Berlin, all in eastern IL.
Thank you Golden Eagle Ferry for proving such great service across the Mississippi!
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