A  letter to Tefft family members from the Cass County Mormon Trails Association (formerly the Lewis Betterment Committee) December 16, 2001 Ms. Darlene Tefft Cobb Interim President, Tefft Family Association 3535 West Avenue J-13 Lancaster, CA 93536 Dear Ms. Cobb, I recently received a copy of the Tefft Family Association Newsletter from Betty Sanny in Lewis, Iowa. First of all, congratulations on producing such a wonderful newsletter. My wife, Carolyn, and I were raised in the Lewis community. We are enclosing a check for membership in your organization. Our interest is preserving the Harlow Tefft Ferry House near Lewis. We feel the preservation of this piece of history is important not only to the community of Lewis and the state of Iowa, but nationally as a National Historic Site. Lewis is a very small rural community with very limited resources. I am the Des Moines representative for the "Des Moines Group" on the Ferry House project board. Our Des Moines Group consists of people with Lewis roots who live in the Des Moines area. We sent a mailing to Lewis High School alumni plus current and former Lewis residents. Our goal was $5,000; we exceeded $17,000 in contributions. Amounts received ranged from $2 to $1,000. Many of the contributions were made as memorials to pioneers and others who helped to make Lewis, Iowa, a community. It appeared that the money that we raised, other local contributions and two grants would be sufficient for the completion of the project. However, six years later the funds are nearly depleted. The board felt it necessary to dismiss the architect after too many months and no progress. This caused a lawsuit to be filed and the need to hire an attorney. The foundation is done and it would appear that there is money left to complete work on the roof, but not much left for interior work. We try to keep a positive attitude, however, 2001 has certainly been stressful. It seems that we take one step forward and two back. Betty Sanny has devoted many hours to this project and remains our contact person for anyone wishing more information on the restoration project. Her address is Betty M. Sanny, P.O. Box 216, Lewis, Iowa 51544. We would be glad to receive any e-mail communication and forward this on to Betty. Our e-mail address is Gramwiss@aol. Our sincere thanks to your association for the newsletter regarding our project and to Dixie Laire of Red Oak, Iowa, for her work and support. Sincerely, Marion Wissler Des Moines, Iowa

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Links to more information Tefft Family Association Newsletter Vol. 2, No. 4, Oct./Nov. 2001 Marion Wissler Gramwiss@aol.com

Help for the Old Ferry House

Contributions for the restoration of the Old Ferry House may be sent to: Betty M. Sanny Cass County Mormon Trails Association P.O. Box 216 Lewis, Iowa 51544 Please include your name, address,  phone number or e-mail address.

Restoration of the Old Ferry House is part a larger effort to preserve the Mormon Trails. The project is  sponsored by the Cass County Mormon Trails Association. The Old Ferry House, where Samuel "Harlow" Tefft lived in the 1850s,  is located in Lewis, Iowa. The ferry operated by Harlow on the Nishnabotna River was located at the crossroads of a system of trails that were used by the western migration of emigrants and as a stagecoach and mail route. It was a passageway traveled by Mormon Handcart Companies and was an alternate route on the Mormon Trail. It was also part of the Underground Railroad, a network of safe houses operated by men and women who actively assisted runaway slaves to reach Canada and freedom.  This trail later became the State Road, or White Pole Road, the first road to cross the nation.

A Brief History