Ringo Ferry and Ringo Cemetery
Bogata, Red River County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Peter and Edy (Jones) Ringo came to Texas from Missouri with their nine children in 1840. The family established a ferry on the Sulphur River which became a local landmark and provided for travel, shipping and communication between the Red River and central Texas areas. Peter and Edy Ringo's son Abraham acquired land on the north and south sides of the ferry in 1842. The ferry ceased operations in 1900, when it was replaced by the Ringo Bridge. The bridge was retired from use in the 1930s, but the area continued to be referred to as Ringo's Crossing. The family cemetery was established about two miles northeast of the crossing and 650 feet south of this site. The resting place of sixteen people, it was destroyed sometime before 1961. Restoration efforts later recovered half the grave markers. (2000)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When the Ringo family arrived from Missouri in 1840 with nine children, they set up a ferry across the Sulphur River that quickly became a lifeline for travel, trade, and news between the Red River country and central Texas. Their son expanded the family's holdings on both banks, and the crossing carried travelers until a bridge replaced it in 1900. Long after the ferry was gone, locals still called the spot Ringo's Crossing, and a small family cemetery marked the family's roots nearby.
Why it matters
River ferries were the hinges of frontier movement and commerce, and place-names like Ringo's Crossing show how a single family's enterprise could anchor a whole community.
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Related people
- · Peter Ringo
- · Edy Jones Ringo
- · Abraham Ringo
Themes & tags
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