Frank Hausmann’s Ferry across the Colorado River
There were several ferries that provided transportation across the Colorado River near La Grange before the first Travis Street bridge was built in 1883, thereby eliminating the need for most ferries to still be useful. The fer- ries were a profitable business for the various owners, who charged fees for their use. However, ferry operators did have to pay for permits issued by the county government.
Besides the first ferry that was owned by Col. John H. Moore, the founder of La Grange, another ferry that was owned by Heinrich Kreische was perhaps the one that was the most popular and best documented. Having built his brewery on the very picturesque bluff south of town in the late 1860s, he utilized his ferry to transport kegs of beer across the river to saloons on the town square. The ferry was also used to transport visitors to his brewery and to the various activities held at his Schuetzen Verein pavilion. Shooting competitions, dances, picnics and Easter season celebrations brought large crowds from town to Kreische’s Bluff, with all of them utilizing his ferry going back and forth.
