The Ohio River The Ohio River is a largest river; it is even bigger than the Mississippi River itself. The Ohio River is around 981 miles long. The Ohio River is 981 miles long, starting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and ending in Cairo, Illinois, where it flows into the Mississippi River. It received its English name from the Iroquois word, "O-­‐Y-­‐O," meaning "the great river". One of the first Europeans to see the Ohio River was Frenchman Rene Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle in 1669. He named the river "la belle riviere" or "the beautiful river." The Ohio River flows through or borders six states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. In addition, water from parts of New York, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama drain into tributaries that empty into the Ohio River. The Ohio River is the source of drinking water for more than three million people. Over 25 million people, almost 10% of the US population, live in the Ohio River Basin. During the 1600s and 1700s, settlers pushed west across the Appalachian Mountains, many of these people used the Ohio River to transport their families and belongings westward. Several of the first permanent settlements by people from the newly formed United States were founded on the river's banks. These places included the towns of Marietta, Steubenville and Cincinnati. During the 1800s, the Ohio River became an important commercial route for residents in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. Farmers and manufacturers sent their crops and finished products on flatboats and barges downstream to the Mississippi River and eventually on to New Orleans. Upon reaching New Orleans, freight was loaded on ocean-­‐going vessels for delivery to eastern seaboard ports like Philadelphia, New York, and Boston. This water route was much faster and less expensive than taking goods by wagon over the Appalachian Mountains. Ohio River Facts Ohio River Vocabulary