Angola Ferry
Encyclopedia
The Angola Ferry is a small and little-known ferry service that crosses the Mississippi River
connecting Lettsworth, Louisiana
with the Louisiana State Penitentiary
, otherwise known as the Angola Prison. It is considered difficult to access, requiring drivers to branch off the Louisiana Highway 418
on an unmarked gravel road and traveling several hundred yards thereafter. A good portion of the area's population are unaware of its existence because it serves mainly prison personnel traveling to and from work.
The ferry is featured prominently in the 2001
film Monster's Ball
.
Until 1940, a railroad car float crossed the river nearby, operated first by the Angola Transfer Company
and then by the Louisiana and Arkansas Railway
.
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
connecting Lettsworth, Louisiana
Lettsworth, Louisiana
Lettsworth is a small village located in the extreme northern tip of Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana, in the United States. It lies on the east bank of the Atchafalaya River near its intersection with the Mississippi River and the Red River at the Old River Control Structure. As of 2005, the...
with the Louisiana State Penitentiary
Louisiana State Penitentiary
The Louisiana State Penitentiary is a prison farm in Louisiana operated by the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections. It is the largest maximum security prison in the United States with 5,000 offenders and 1,800 staff...
, otherwise known as the Angola Prison. It is considered difficult to access, requiring drivers to branch off the Louisiana Highway 418
Louisiana Highway 418
Louisiana Highway 418 is an east–west state highway in northern Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana.-Route description:LA-418 begins at an intersection with Louisiana Highway 417, west of Batchelor, Louisiana. The road travels in an easterly direction for approximately before coming to an...
on an unmarked gravel road and traveling several hundred yards thereafter. A good portion of the area's population are unaware of its existence because it serves mainly prison personnel traveling to and from work.
The ferry is featured prominently in the 2001
2001 in film
The year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
film Monster's Ball
Monster's Ball
Monster's Ball is a 2001 romantic drama film directed by Marc Forster, starring Billy Bob Thornton, Halle Berry, and Heath Ledger, and written by Milo Addica and Will Rokos. It was produced by Lionsgate and Lee Daniels Entertainment....
.
Until 1940, a railroad car float crossed the river nearby, operated first by the Angola Transfer Company
Angola Transfer Company
The Angola Transfer Company, organized in November 1906, was a railroad car float operation that primarily ferried cars of the Louisiana Railway and Navigation Company across the Mississippi River between Angola and Naples, Louisiana...
and then by the Louisiana and Arkansas Railway
Louisiana and Arkansas Railway
The Louisiana and Arkansas Railway was a railroad that operated in the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. The railroad's main line extended 332 miles, from Hope, Arkansas to Shreveport and New Orleans...
.