Over the years, there has been much confusion, and many litigations. At first, ownership of the river by Lancaster County was an important consideration. The river was important for many reasons. Economics was the most important consideration. The river was a busy place until the railroads came. There were the canal boats, the ferries and various commercial boats that carried all manner of cargo back and forth between the two counties. There were numerous “hotels” up and down both sides of the river not so much to accommodate travelers, but the people that worked on the river: canal boat workers and passengers, boatmen, ferry operators, laborers, fisherman, etc.