A.D. 1670 A.D. 1929
—The Ohio Valley Improvement Association —
Plaque A
"River Ohio so called by the Iroquois on account
of its beauty- descended by Sieur Robert de la Salle."
Discovered by the French explorer LaSalle, about
1670 and claimed by him for Louis XIV of France.
Seized by the British as the result of the French and Indian War 1755- 1762
Descended by George Washington in 1770.
Included in the territory of the United States as the
result of the Revolutionary War and Treaty of Paris , 1776- 1783
Saved to the Union by General
William Henry Harrison in the War of 1812.
The first steamboat "New Orleans" piloted by Captain
Nicholas J. Roosevelt was launched at Pittsburg A.D. 1811.
For more than 200 years it was the great
highway to the west of the American pioneer.
This monument was dedicated by
Herbert C. Hoover
President of the United States
October 22nd, 1929
to mark the completion of the
canalization of the Ohio River to a
depth of nine feet from Pittsburg
to Cairo. A distance of nine
hundred and eighty miles.
Plaque B
The Ohio Valley Improvement Association
was organized at the Cincinnati Chamber
of Commerce October 8th, 1895, to foster
the canalization and improvement of the
Ohio River and provide a navigable
channel for uninterrupted commerce
Forty nine locks and movable
dams were
erected by the United States government
between Pittsburg and Cairo, a
distance of nine hundred and eighty miles,
giving a nine foot stage to river navigation.
This monument has been erected by the
grateful people of the Ohio Valley as
a token of their deep appreciation of their
government's sound waterway policy and
in recognition of the ability and loyalty
of the splendid corps of United States
Engineers who have so faithfully
wrought the successful accomplishment
of this work.
The Ohio Valley Improvement Association
Oscar F. Barrett, president
W.C. Culkins, secretary
George Puchta, treasurer
E.C. Gibbs, chairman
executive committee
G.F. Dieterle H.W. Nichols
M.J. Freiberg A.K. Nippert
R.P. Gillham J.A. Pollak
J.T. Hatfield J.A. Reilly
Cincinnati, October 22nd, 1929
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