Shortened in the Shawnee language to pelewa thiipi, spelewathiipi or peleewa thiipiiki, the name evolved through variant forms such as "Polesipi", "Peleson", "Pele Sipi" and "Pere Sipi", and eventually stabilized to the variant spellings "Pelisipi", "Pelisippi" and "Pellissippi". In the early 19th century, river pirates such as Samuel Mason, operating out of Cave-In-Rock, Illinois, waylaid travelers on their way down the river. There are hundreds of other cities, towns, villages and unincorporated populated places on the river, most of them very small. [33] The Ohio River flow is higher than that of the Mississippi River so hydrologically, the Ohio River is the main stream of the river system. Toll-Free: 800-342-8192. [31], The Ohio River was polluted with hundreds of thousands of pounds of PFOA, a fluoride-based chemical used in making teflon, among other things, by the DuPont chemical company from an outflow pipe at its Parkersburg, West Virginia, facility for several decades beginning in the 1950s. Pennsylvania: a corridor from the southwestern corner to north central border. The Ohio River boatmen were the inspiration for performer Dan Emmett, who in 1843 wrote the song "The Boatman's Dance". Traversing the lush hills and farmlands of southern Indiana and paralleling the mighty Ohio River, the Ohio River Scenic Byway marks a time-worn and history-rich corridor that has profoundly influenced the people and communities through which it passes. Both Illinois and Indiana have long since changed their laws to allow riverboat casinos to be permanently docked, with Illinois changing in 1999 and Indiana in 2002. Historic architecture along the way retains a charm … From a geological standpoint, the Ohio River is young. For thousands of years, Native Americans used the river as a major transportation and trading route. They killed travelers, stealing their goods and scuttling their boats. The lower Ohio River just below Louisville is obstructed by rapids known as the Falls of the Ohio where the water level falls 26 feet (7.9 m) in 2 miles (3.2 km) and is impassible for navigation. Its current gentle, waters clear, and bosom smooth and unbroken by rocks and rapids, a single instance only excepted. [34] The water depth predictions are relative to each local flood plain based upon predicted rainfall in the Ohio River basin in five reports as follows: The water levels for the Ohio River from Smithland Lock and Dam to Cairo, Illinois, are predicted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center.[35]. Scale ca. Click on the yellow port icons for more information on that port. [7][8], Native Americans, including the Lenni Lenape and Iroquois, considered the Ohio and Allegheny rivers as the same, as is suggested by a New York State road sign on Interstate 86 that refers to the Allegheny River also as Ohi:yo';[9] the Geographic Names Information System lists O-hee-yo and O-hi-o as variant names for the Allegheny. [2] The river flows through or along the border of six states, and its drainage basin includes parts of 14 states. [4][6] "Great river" and "large creek" have also been given as translations. It is 548 miles as the crow flies between Cairo and Pittsburgh, but 981 miles by water. During the American Revolution, in 1776 the British military engineer John Montrésor created a map of the river showing the strategic location of Fort Pitt, including specific navigational information about the Ohio River's rapids and tributaries in that area. The middle Ohio River formed in a manner similar to formation of the upper Ohio River. The McAlpine Locks and Dam, a shipping canal bypassing the rapids, now allows commercial navigation from the Forks of the Ohio at Pittsburgh to the Port of New Orleans at the mouth of the Mississippi on the Gulf of Mexico. Largely rural, they shipped much of their produce along the river to ports such as [29] The bridge was rebuilt about one mile downstream and in service as the Silver Memorial Bridge in 1969. Tennessee: all but a small part in the extreme west drained directly by the Mississippi, and a very small area in the southeastern corner which is drained by the, Ohio: 80% (all except a northern strip bordering Lake Erie, and the northwest corner), This page was last edited on 6 December 2020, at 17:17. The expression "sold down the river" originated as a lament of Upper South slaves, especially from Kentucky, who were shipped via the Ohio and Mississippi to cotton and sugar plantations in the Deep South. The map center team in addition to provides the supplementary pictures of Ohio River Locks and Dams Map in high Definition and Best mood that can be downloaded by click upon the gallery under the Ohio River Locks and Dams Map picture. Where the river serves as a boundary between states today, Congress designated the entire river to belong to the states on the east and south, i.e., West Virginia and Kentucky at the time of admission to the Union, that were divided from Virginia. The Ohio River Scenic Byway in Indiana is comprised of the following segments totaling 302.38 miles: Direct water travel the length of the river is obstructed by the Falls of the Ohio just below Louisville, Kentucky. The south-flowing Marietta River (no longer in existence) ended between the present-day cities. At Paducah, Kentucky, in the south, near the Ohio's confluence with the Mississippi, it is ice-free year-round. The combined Allegheny-Ohio river is 1,310 miles (2,110 km) long and carries the largest volume of water of any tributary of the Mississippi. [26][27] Before and during the Civil War, the Ohio River was called the "River Jordan" by slaves crossing it to escape to freedom in the North via the Underground Railroad. Among rivers wholly or mostly in the United States, it is the second largest by discharge volume, the tenth longest and has the eighth largest drainage basin. Searchable listings of Ohio River RV parks and campgrounds. Before the river was created, large parts of North America were covered by water forming a saltwater lake about 200 miles across and 400 miles in length. It is considered to separate Midwestern Great Lakes states from the Upper South states, which were historically border states in the Civil War. There are many large tributaries that give the Ohio River its size. Indiana's Ohio River Scenic Byway is a winding, hilly route follows the Ohio River. The course forms the northern borders of West Virginia and Kentucky; and the southern borders of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, until it joins the Mississippi River at the city of Cairo, Illinois. Brown, sediment-laden water flowing generally northeast to south from the Ohio River is distinct from the green and relatively sediment-poor water of the Mississippi River (flowing northwest to south). "Good River". Ohio River Map with Cities Map Of Ohio Cities Ohio Road Map. A north-flowing river was temporarily dammed by natural forces southwest of present-day Louisville, creating a large lake until the dam burst. The Ohio River Scenic Byway follows the Ohio River through Illinois, Indiana and Ohio ending at Steubenville, Ohio, on the river. [23] However, the Treaty of Paris (1783) gave the entire Ohio Valley to the United States. This is a complete list of current bridges and other crossings of the Ohio River from the Mississippi River at Cairo, Illinois upstream to the split into the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania It is located in the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania south of Lake Erie to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illinois. The Ohio River is a left (east) and largest tributary by volume of the Mississippi River in the United States. This Ohio River map begins in Pittsburgh, PA (where the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers meet) and ends at Cairo IL. Ohio River. The folktales about Mike Fink recall the keelboats used for commerce in the early days of American settlement. [13] For thousands of years, Native Americans used the river as a major transportation and trading route. In the five centuries before European conquest, the Mississippian culture built numerous regional chiefdoms and major earthwork mounds in the Ohio Valley, such as Angel Mounds near Evansville, Indiana, as well as in the Mississippi Valley and the Southeast. + View larger map Big & Little Darby Creeks The bedrock of the Ohio Valley was mostly set during this time. [14] The Teays River was the largest of these rivers. The economic connection of the Ohio Country to the East was significantly increased in 1818 when the National Road being built westward from Cumberland, Maryland reached Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia), providing an easier overland connection from the Potomac River to the Ohio River. Beaver County Tourism. This is a generalized topographic map of Ohio. The dams raise the water level and have turned the river largely into a series of reservoirs, eliminating shallow stretches and allowing for commercial navigation. Originally applied just to the Ohio River, the "Pelisipi" name later was variously applied back and forth between the Ohio River and the Clinch River in Virginia and Tennessee. If you are an outdoor enthusiast and enjoy nature exploration, the Falls of the Ohio State Park is for you! Has watermark. Other states had to limit their cruises to going forwards, then reversing and going backwards on the Indiana shore only. The section of the river that runs southwest from Pittsburgh to Cairo, Illinois is around tens of thousands of years old. The Ohio River has 9 ports and harbors. [24] The Wheeling Suspension Bridge was built over the river at Wheeling from 1847 to 1849, making the trip west easier. [30] The river again ranked as the most polluted in 2013 and has been the most polluted river since at least 2001, according to the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO). 56.5: Significant flooding of California occurs. The Shows river course from New Martinsville, W.Va. to Pittsburgh. There are several major cities located along the northern and southern banks of the river including Cincinnati, Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Louisville, Kentucky.[14]. Come discover 390 million years of history from the Devonian sea creatures to life at the Falls today! Before there were cities, there were colonial forts. [14] The river formed on a piecemeal basis beginning between 2.5 and 3 million years ago. Use our easy Lodging Search to find exactly the type of accommodation you are looking for at the right price. In winter, it regularly freezes over at Pittsburgh but rarely farther south toward Cincinnati and Louisville. Beaver Falls, PA 15010. Falls of the Ohio National Wildlife Conservation Area, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), Jefferson, Thomas, 1743–1826. Along the banks of the Ohio are some of the largest cities in their respective states:[note 1] Pittsburgh, the largest city on the river and second-largest city in Pennsylvania; Cincinnati, the third-largest city in Ohio; Louisville, the largest city in Kentucky; Evansville, the third-largest city in Indiana; Owensboro, the fourth-largest city in Kentucky; and three of the five largest cities in West Virginia—Huntington (second), Parkersburg (fourth), and Wheeling (fifth). The need for access to the port of New Orleans by settlers in the Ohio Valley is one of the factors that led to the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. There, some continued on up the Missouri River, some up the Mississippi, and some farther west over land routes. Ohio river on a map. In this area, the river flowed over hard, fossil-rich beds of limestone. Ohio River above Cairo, IL and its tributaries. [11][12] In his original draft of the Land Ordinance of 1784, Thomas Jefferson proposed a new state called "Pelisipia", to the south of the Ohio River, which would have included parts of present-day Eastern Kentucky, Virginia and West Virginia.[11]. Kentucky brought suit against Indiana in the early 1980s because of the building of the never-completed Marble Hill Nuclear Power Plant in Indiana, which would have discharged its waste water into the river. The largest northern tributary is the Wabash River. [10], An earlier Miami-Illinois language name was also applied to the Ohio River, Mosopeleacipi ("river of the Mosopelea" tribe). Use administration and navigation. The word “Ohio” originated from the Seneca language of the Seneca people. At Paducah, Kentucky, in the south, at the Ohio's confluence with the Tennessee River, it is ice-free year-round. This map shows the course of the Ohio from Fort Pitt, site of present-day Pittsburgh, to what is now New Martinsville, West Virginia. Trading boats and ships traveled south on the Mississippi to New Orleans, and sometimes beyond to the Gulf of Mexico and other ports in the Americas and Europe. River Mist Marina 58.1 Bo's Lighthouse & Marina Mile marker 58.1 RDB Toronto, OH Skipper Haven Yacht Club 60.2 Steubenville Marina Mile marker 66.3 RDB Steubenville, OH Pier 12 Marina 74.5 E-Z Pool Marina 77.4 Rayland Marina Mile marker 81.5 RDB No joke, it probably is, the best marina on upper third of the Ohio River. Relief shown by hachures. Many cities got their start at or adjacent to the forts. Begins in pittsburgh pa. The Ohio River drains to the Mississippi River which flows to the Gulf of Mexico on the Atlantic Ocean. Major river in the midwestern United States, The widest point on the Ohio River is just north of. Cincinnati skyline showing the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge to Covington, Kentucky. Cities along the Ohio are also among the oldest cities in their respective states and among the oldest cities in the United States west of the Appalachian Mountains (by date of founding): Old Shawneetown, Illinois, 1748; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1758; Wheeling, West Virginia, 1769; Huntington, West Virginia, 1775; Louisville, Kentucky, 1779; Clarksville, Indiana, 1783; Maysville, Kentucky, 1784; Martin's Ferry, Ohio, 1785; Marietta, Ohio, 1788; Cincinnati, Ohio, 1789; Manchester, Ohio, 1790; Beaver, Pennsylvania, 1792; and Golconda, Illinois, 1798. From Mapcarta, the free map. In 1749 Great Britain established the Ohio Company to settle and trade in the area. Check flight prices and hotel availability for your visit. In 1763, following the war, France ceded the area to Britain, and thus to the settlers in the colonies of Britain. Most were abandoned by 1800. The Ohio River is a 981-mile (1,579 km) long river in the United States. The Ohio River is 981 Miles long and has 19 locks and dams. Cross Creek Lake. Less than 2 miles above It is the third largest river by discharge volume in the United States and the largest tributary by volume of the north-south flowing Mississippi River that divides the eastern from western United States. The Ohio River becomes a tributary of the Mississippi River directly south of Cairo, Illinois, a small city on the spit of land where the rivers converge. The Ohio drains parts of 14 states in four regions. It became a primary transportation route for pioneers during the westward expansion of the early U.S.