Jessie remembers little about life at Spadra; most of what she remembers centers around the ferry and the Arkansas River. As there were few bridges over the rivers back then, the people would cross the rivers by ferry. The type of ferry referred to in this article was a very small barge type ferry. It was powered by a skiff (fishing boat) and motor that were connected to the side of the ferry. When one drove the ferry up to the landing, the end was lowered and it was held in place for loading and unloading.

Fred Cain, son of Alan, ran the ferry at Spadra when Alan and Mary Lou Belle lived at Blaine; Fred lived in a house on the bluff overlooking the Arkansas River there. Jessie remembers that one winter there was a big snow. Mr. Longstreath wanted to cross the river, so Ada and Ruth took him in Alan’s car to the ferry. The windshield was broken out of the car at that time, and by the time they got to the ferry they were really cold. They waited and waited for Fred to come across the river to get Mr. Longstreath. When he finally came, they were nearly frozen. They stayed with Fred and Clara until the weather warmed some because they were afraid the car wouldn’t start. When Ruth’s feet started thawing, she just cried and cried because they hurt so badly. Jessie also remembers visiting Fred and Clara and getting German measles whilst there.

Fred decided to become an engineer on the train, so he moved his family. Alan and Mary Lou Belle decided to operate the ferry and moved into the house on the bluff. The old saying, “The grass is greener on the other side” tempted Alan’s horses. They got loose, got on the ferry and jumped off into the water. The water was deeper than what they bargained for and they swam to a sandbar. There was no coaxing them off of the sandbar after they had gotten scared, so Alan had to go get them. Unbeknown to them, the water on the other side of the sandbar was so shallow they could have just waded through it to the other bank of the river.

One winter when Alan was running the ferry, the Arkansas River completely froze over at Spadra. It also froze at Ft. Smith where the people crossed in wagons and cars on the ice. They must not have been as brave at Spadra, because no one attempted to cross the ice there. When the weather warmed and the ice began to break up on the river, it made a loud crashing noise. Jessie remembers waking up in the night and wondering what on earth was happening.