Description
People traveling on a ferry on an unknown river. In 1836 Germanicus Kent established a ferry in Rockford, located where the State Street bridge would be built later. The ferry transported vehicles, people and animals across the Rock River. Ferry houses were built with boarding platforms on each side of the river. February 27, 1843, Illinois state legislation authorized a bridge to be built. The first bridge in Rockford opened July 4, 1845.