Besides the convoy of 40+ trucks going back and forth through town the past few weekends, continually threatening the infrastructure and putting pressure on our already fragile water system … it’s been pretty quiet in town.
With that being the case I thought I’d bring you some historical information as printed in the flyer entitled “Historic Knights Ferry: Discover the Fascinating Story of the Pioneer Days”. This flyer can be found at the Army Corp of Engineers/Museum down at the river parking lot. This particular excerpt is regarding Knights Ferry’s little iron jail:
“The Goodwin Diverting Dam above Knights Ferry was built in 1912. Most of the construction workers on this job either lived in Knights Ferry or invaded the town during their off hours. They threatened the peace of the little community. The leaders of the community appealed to the builders of the dam site to bring a former powder house from Oakdale to be used as a jail. Another story has it as a former jail cell in Modesto. When they rebuilt their jail, this one iron cell was brought to Knights Ferry. This iron building housed the worst offenders until they sobered up. The last time it was put to use was during the Centennial celebration in 1948.”
It seems Knights Ferry has always had a complicated relationship with “progress.” In 1912 it brought us a dam, a bunch of rowdy workers and an iron jail. In 2026, we get 40-plus dump trucks.
One wonders if anyone happens to know where they put the jail key, purely for historical purposes, of course …
*****
Ongoing Events:
Odd Fellows Breakfast - 1st Sunday of the month @ The Odd Fellows Lodge
Free Market - 2nd Tuesday, 3:30pm @ The Odd Fellows Lodge
Community Clinic Day - Tuesdays, 9am-4pm @ The Russell’s home - (209) 603-5371
Taco Tuesday - 5pm-8pm @ Rick’s Saloon - Live music & Tacos!
Thankful Thursday - Every other Thursday. Free meal with drink purchase 5pm-8pm @ Rick’s Saloon
Knights Ferry Community Church Services - Sundays 9:30am-10:30am
Upcoming Events:
Community Club Meeting - September 3, 6:30pm @ The Community Club
First OHS Home Football Game - September 4, 7pm @ Oakdale High School
Labor Day - September 7
Miller’s Hall Meeting - September 8, 9am @ The Miller’s Hall
School Board Meeting - September 10, 5:30pm @ Knights Ferry School
Water Board Meeting- September 17, 7pm @ The Miller’s Hall
Free Market Fall Seed Exchange - September 20, 12pm-5pm @ Odd Fellows Lodge
Odd Fellows Potluck Social - September 23, 6pm @ The Odd Fellows Lodge
MAC Meeting - October 22, 7pm @ the Community Club (Held quarterly)
*****
Do you have any exciting Knights Ferry local news, upcoming events, historical facts about the area, jokes or recipes to share? Contact Mary Turner at knightsferrynews@gmail.com
