Hill Town Ferry

Two piers stand here. The older, of brick, carries the Daughters of the American Colonists plaque of 1957, which gives the ferry's years as 1867 to 1889. The state approved its own landmark text in December 1956, but nobody cast it until 2023, when the Clampers and the same chapter set it on a second pier with a plaque explaining the delay. Hill Town, named for the early settler James Bryant Hill, grew at a ford on the Salinas River. The ferry carried the road across until a bridge replaced it in 1889.

What the plaque says

Hill Town Ferry Historical Monument 1867 - 1889 Marked by San Jose de Guadalupe Chapter Daughters of the American Colonists 1957 Hill Town Ferry Operated by Hiram Cory, this was one of the first ferries to cross the Salinas River. The Monterey County Board of Supervisors regulated the toll, which was, in 1877: Buggy and horse, 25 cents; Buggy and horses, 371/2 cents; Four horses and wagon, 85 cents; Six horses and wagon, $1; Horse and saddle, 25 cents; And man on foot, 121/2 cents. The ferry operated until a bridge was built in 1889. The language on the above plaque, listed as California Historical Landmark No. 560, was approved by the California Office of Historic Preservation in December 1956 and intended for placement "on Old Hwy 68 at the SW corner of Spreckels Blvd and Old Hwy 68." After a record gestation, it is presented here. Dedicated May 6, 2023 Monterey Viejo Ch 1846 E Clampus Vitus and San Jose de Guadalupe Chapter Daughters of the American Colonists

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• José Eusebio Boronda Adobe Casa — 4.8 mi
• Battle of Natividad — 10 mi
• Royal Presidio Chapel of San Carlos Borroméo — 13 mi
• Custom House — 13 mi