The Ohio River begins in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at the confluence of the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River, extending roughly 900 miles downstream and ending in Cairo, Illinois. It is the largest tributary of the Mississippi River on the basis of volume. Throughout time, the Ohio River has been called many names by different civilizations. The Shawnees called it Spaylaywitheepi, the Miami tribes- Causisseppione, the Delawares- Kitonosipi, the Spanish- Dono and Albacha, and the French- La Belle Riviére, meaning “the beautiful river.” It was called the "River Jordan" by slaves escaping to freedom in the North using the Underground Railroad in early 1800s. The name Ohio comes from the Iroquois word, "O-Y-O," meaning "the great river".
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As early as 700 B.C., the first humans on the river were the Adena culture, followed by the Hopewell culture around 400 B.C. The Adena culture made their mark on the land erecting unique conical burial mounds along the river’s course and its tributaries. The Hopewells had larger earthen mounds in the same area as the Adenas. By the sixth century, both cultures had disappeared leaving behind their memories in their amazing burial structures. Other cultures emerged and then vanish, and by the 1670s, tribes were constantly warring with each other. The Shawnees, Cherokees, Iroquois, and Miamis, all at different periods used the Ohio River as a site to launch their raids. Violence on the river consequently led to the Ohio River being referred to as the “River of Blood” by the tribes.
Around this period, newcomers such as the French, established trading post along the Ohio River tributaries including the Beaver, Wabash, and the Scioto Rivers, but the Ohio River remained unexplored. The first European to see the Ohio River was Frenchman Rene Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle in 1669. By the 1880s, the Ohio River became an important commercial route, particularly for farmers and manufacturers who sent their crops and finished products to market. It was also a transportation route for families who migrated to establish settlement in U.S. territory to the
As early as 700 B.C., the first humans on the river were the Adena culture, followed by the Hopewell culture around 400 B.C. The Adena culture made their mark on the land erecting unique conical burial mounds along the river’s course and its tributaries. The Hopewells had larger earthen mounds in the same area as the Adenas. By the sixth century, both cultures had disappeared leaving behind their memories in their amazing burial structures. Other cultures emerged and then vanish, and by the 1670s, tribes were constantly warring with each other. The Shawnees, Cherokees, Iroquois, and Miamis, all at different periods used the Ohio River as a site to launch their raids. Violence on the river consequently led to the Ohio River being referred to as the “River of Blood” by the tribes.
Around this period, newcomers such as the French, established trading post along the Ohio River tributaries including the Beaver, Wabash, and the Scioto Rivers, but the Ohio River remained unexplored. The first European to see the Ohio River was Frenchman Rene Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle in 1669. By the 1880s, the Ohio River became an important commercial route, particularly for farmers and manufacturers who sent their crops and finished products to market. It was also a transportation route for families who migrated to establish settlement in U.S. territory to the