STE. GENEVIEVE When the Tower Rock Ferry Co. opened for business June 1, 1991, its owners expected the ferry would carry about 35 cars per day, or 12,700 vehicles per year. But one year later the ferry has already carried more than 15,000 cars across the Mississippi River between Ste. Genevieve and Modoc, Ill.

That number doesn't include the tour buses, recreational vehicles, trucks, motorcycles, farm tractors and implements, bicyclists and pedestrians that crossed the river on the ferry boat during the past 12 months.

"We're obviously well pleased with the way everything has gone during the first year," said Ron Inman, president of Ste. Genevieve-Modoc Ferry Inc. and one of the part-owners in the ferry service.

There had been a river ferry service at Ste. Genevieve from the early 1900s to 1980, when it was closed due to lack of business. In 1986 the ferry operated briefly for three months before it was closed.

When the decision was made by the new owners to reopen the ferry last year, they decided to coincide it with the 22nd annual Fort de Chartres Rendezvous, held near Prairie du Rocher, Ill., across the river from Ste. Genevieve.

Inman said on the first two days of operation last June 1-2, the ferry carried over 400 cars each day, most of them to and from the Rendezvous.

Since then, Inman said, the ferry has averaged about 35 to 40 car crossings per day during the week. Most of the cars are driven by Missouri and Illinois residents who have jobs on the other side of the river. If it weren't for the ferry, Inman said these people would have to drive 20 miles south to cross the river at Chester, or drive about 40 miles upstream to cross the I-255 bridge at Jefferson Barracks in south St. Louis County.

When the weather is nice, the number of cars that use the ferry goes up, Inman said. "Normally, we carry about 80 cars on Satur day, and over 100 cars on Sunday, if the weekend weather is nice," he said. "During the past several weekends, however, with nothing in particular happening on either side of the river, we transported around 120 cars each day."

Inman said many people who cross the ferry during the weekends are usually on a weekend drive.

"We have a tremendous following from Belleville, Ill., residents. They like to drive down the Bluff Road from Columbia (Ill.) and stop at the fort or Prairie du Rocher, then cross the river to visit Ste. Genevieve. They either drive back on I-55 and cross the river at St. Louis or make the return trip on the ferry," he said.

The ferry has been dubbed the "French Connection" because it links the historical French communities of Prairie du Rocher and Fort de Chartres with Ste. Genevieve. During its first year of operation, the ferry has had substantial impact on the local tourism industry in Ste. Genevieve County and Randolph County, Ill. Inman said the ferry helped boost the food and lodging business on both sides of the river by 20 to 30 percent.

Inman said the first year of operation was also helped by the mild winter and no major flooding on the river this spring. "Normally, we have to shut down whenever there's ice or very cold weather on the river, or if the river is flooding," he said. "But we were very fortunate that neither occurred this year."

This past April, Inman and the other owners christened the new ferry boat, the C.H.V. Ste. Genevieve. The 40-foot, twin-screw vessel is powered by two diesel engines, although one is all that's needed to push the ferry barge.

The ferry is licensed by the Coast Guard to carry up to 100 passengers or 100,000 pounds. It can handle nine full-size or 12 mid-size cars, or one tour bus.

The ferry is operated by four pilots, two of them retired Corps of Engineers river pilots.

Inman is trying to get Illinois and Missouri to help in maintaining the roads and ramps to the ferry on each side of the river. "Right now Ste. Genevieve and Randolph counties maintain the ramps, he said. "Both states have been very cooperative in erecting signs to direct motorists to the ferry boat landings. Missouri's new highway map that will be out in December will list the ferry, and the new highway atlases for l993 will also have the ferry displayed on the Missouri and Illinois maps."

In addition to the daily ferry service, Inman said the company has now branched out into river excursions after 7 p.m. each day, when the ferry closes for the day. "We're booking evening, 2-hour excursions on the river for groups up to 100 adults or children," said Inman. "The excursions can be booked any day of the week after 7 p.m. We supply the ferry barge and picnic tables. The group brings the food and fixings. The Dana Corp. at Cape has an excursion booked with us next weekend," he said. For more information about bookings contact Inman at 883-7415.

Inman says the company intends to make the ferry a permanent operation at Ste. Genevieve.

"We're here to stay, as long as we make enough to make the payments," he said. "None of us has to make a living out of it." He noted all of the owners are actively involved in their own businesses on each side of the river. In addition to tourism and business traffic, the owners also use the ferry to transport their farm equipment back and forth.