Knights Ferry as it is known today was first settled by Dr. William Knight in the spring of 1849. Dr. Knight, aside from being a doctor, was a prominent fur trader that founded other towns in Northern California such as Knights Landing.

Knights Ferry is an unincorporated historic community and census-designated place in Stanislaus County, California, United States. Nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, it is about 30 miles east of Modesto on the Stanislaus River. The Williams Ranch near the town was one of many filming locations for the television series Bonanza and Little House on the Prairie. Knights Ferry is home to the Knights Ferry Bridge, the longest covered bridge west of the Mississippi River at 330 feet in length.