| Knights Ferry | |
| Nrhp Type: | hd |
| Nocat: | yes |
| Designated Other1: | California |
| Designated Other1 Number: | 347 |
| Nearest City: | Oakdale, California |
| Coordinates: | 37.8197°N -120.6644°W |
| Built: | 1849 |
| Architecture: | Mid 19th Century Revival, Gothic Revival, Classical Revival |
| Added: | April 23, 1975 |
| Refnum: | 75000490 |
Knights Ferry is an unincorporated historic community and census-designated place (CDP) in Stanislaus County, California, United States. Nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, it is about 30miles east of Modesto on the Stanislaus River. The Williams Ranch near the town was one of many filming locations for the television series Bonanza and Little House on the Prairie.[1]
Knights Ferry is home to the Knights Ferry Bridge, the longest covered bridge west of the Mississippi River at 330feet in length.[2] It is also home to a K-8 elementary school and a museum about the history of the town and also about local wildlife. The town's ruins include a mill and a jail.
When gold was discovered in California in 1849, Dr. William Knight rediscovered a place which he and John C. Fremont had previously found to be a favorable river crossing, and established a ferry boat there. Soon, the ferry boat prospered and Knight and Captain James Vantine built a hotel and trading post near the crossing. On November 9, 1849, Knight was killed in a gunfight and was buried in an unmarked grave. Knight's family believed he was stabbed to death in his bed and was buried near the gate in the yard of John Dent's house, which was Dr. Knight's place at the time. John Dent and his brother Lewis immediately took possession of Bill Knight's property at Knight's Ferry following the murder. After Knight's death, Vantine operated the ferry alone until he formed another collaboration with John and Lewis Dent, whose sister Julia married future U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant. In 1852, Vantine sold his properties in the area to the Dents and moved elsewhere. A new townsite under the name of "Dentville" was laid out by John Dent. The inhabitants continued to call the town "Knights Ferry" and "Knights Crossing".
In 1852 a toll bridge replaced the ferry, but it was destroyed by the Great Flood of 1862. The new covered bridge was built at a higher level than the previous one, and it still stands today. This bridge was used for car traffic until it was closed in 1985 to prevent damage. In addition to being the longest covered bridge west of the Mississippi River, the bridge is one of the nation's finest examples of a Howe truss covered bridge. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2012.[3]
Knights Ferry became the county seat in 1862, replacing La Grange. It was soon succeeded by the new, prosperous railroad boomtown of Modesto, in 1871.
The following is a list of historic contributions that make up the Knights Ferry Historic District.
Located next to Knights Ferry is the Knights Ferry Recreation Area, managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This recreation area includes a "put in" location for Class I-II rafting trips on the Stanislaus River. Rafting most often occurs April through October. Water in the lower Stanislaus is discharged from the base of New Melones Dam, resulting in clear and cold water even in the warmest months of summer. The Army Corps of Engineers maintains recreational facilities along the Stanislaus River. Park rangers caution rafters to exercise caution and use life vests, as the rapids below Knights Ferry can be challenging when the river is high.
The ZIP Code is 95361. The town is inside area code 209. Knights Ferry is part of the Modesto Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Willms Ranch is a California Historical Landmark in Knights Ferry.
The California Historical Landmark number 415 reads:
NO. 415 THE WILLMS RANCH - Arriving in California October 12, 1849, John R. Willms and John H. Kappelmann engaged in the hotel and butcher businesses in Buena Vista, in what is now Stanislaus County. They bought up mining claims and settler's claims until, by 1852, they had a tract of 3,600 acres. The 'KW' brand was the first in Stanislaus County in 1852. After the death of Kappelmann, Willms carried on alone, and the ranch has been owned by the Willms family ever since. [5]
In the California State Legislature, Knights Ferry is in, and in .[6]
In the United States House of Representatives, Knights Ferry is in .[7]
San Jerónimo (Los Barbosa), Jalisco, Mexico
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Knights Ferry has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps.[8]