Jensen (Mau-be) Ferry

Lars Jensen ran the first ferry across the Green here, a boat pegged together without nails, from 1881 until ice carried the last one off in 1909. The town took his name. Its busiest day came near the end: on one October day in 1908 his son Jens made eighty-six crossings, carrying Ute families caught up in the great exodus of 1906–1908. Hundreds had left the Uintah Reservation for the Dakotas, hoping to join the Lakota and resist the allotment that was stripping their land — most were escorted back, defeated, by the year's end.

What the plaque says

The first boat (framed together with wooden pegs) used for passengers and baggage was built and operated by Lars Jensen 2 ½ miles downstream from 1881 to 1909. It was replaced by a cable ferry for wagons in 1885, and a larger boat in 1894. This was used until carried away by ice in 1909. Its last service October 5, 1908 was 86 trips by his son Jens, crossing run-away Indians migrating from Uintah Reservation to the Dakotas. The town was named in Honor of Lars Jensen. Replica, 1/8 size of the last boat, made by Jens Jensen. Escalante Camp

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Dinosaur National Monument — 5.0 mi
  A wall of 1,500 dinosaur bones still embedded in the rock where they were found
• Fantasy Canyon — 5.0 mi
  Impossibly shaped rock formations that look like alien sculptures
• Vernal — 12 mi
  The self-proclaimed Dinosaur Capital of Utah
• Utah Field House of Natural History — 12 mi
  A dinosaur museum with life-size replicas in an outdoor garden

More markers nearby

• Escalante Expedition — 1.3 mi
• Escalante Crossed Here — 4.1 mi
• Musket Shot Springs Byway — 5.9 mi
• Pottery Shop — 9.3 mi