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Ferrying people and produce from Long Island to the mainland and back was a risky business in the early days. Small, hand-made boats, unpredictable weather and tricky tidal waters could be a treacherous combination. In 1642, Cornelis Dircksen, a local farmer and inn keeper established one of the first ferry crossings where the Fulton Ferry would eventually run, connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn.

In the 1700s, enterprising individuals used shallow, double-masted sailboats to ferry passengers from Staten Island to the mainland. In 1817 the first motorized, steam-driven ferry, the “Nautilus,” traveled between Staten Island and New York City. By 1834, ferries were in place to connect passengers between Long Island City, Manhattan and Orient Point, the tip of the North Fork of Long Island.

Recognizing the importance of ferry service at that time, the New York legislature passed an act in 1845 that would establish and regulate the transporting of goods and passengers by boat from Long Island to New York City. Unfortunately, Fulton Ferry and many other similar services would quietly fade into the past when structures such as the Brooklyn Bridge made crossing the East River so much easier and drier.

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