This is the site of the ferry crossing established in 1860 by Thomas H. Parrott that connected the mining towns of Tuttletown and Vallecito. The ferry was in operation until 1903, when the first bridge was built. The ferryboat, of flatbottom wooden construction, was propelled on heavy cables anchored in a large boulder. Still visible (1949) at low water on the Calaveras side of the river is the sandbag dam built to form a small lake that stored enough water to float the ferries in dry periods.

Citation from California Office of Historic Preservation