A Breif History Of The Monongahela River

Photo Credit: https://www.doorsopenpgh.org/benebby-blog/whats-with-those-piers-on-the-
                        monongahela-river

State: Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Counties: Marion WV, Monongahela WV,
                Greene PA, Fayette PA,
                Washington PA, Westmoreland
                PA, Allegheny PA.
Source: Tygart Valley River
     1.     Location: Pocahontas County, WV.
     2.     Elevation: 4,540 ft. (1,380 m).
Second Source: West Fork River.
     1.     Location: Upshur County, WV.
     2.     Elevation: 1,309 ft. (399 m).
Source Confluence:
     1.     Location: Fairmont, WV.
     2.     Elevation: 863 ft (263 m).
Mouth: Ohio River.
     1.     Location: Pittsburgh, PA.
     2.     Elevation: 709 ft. (216 m).
Length: 130 mi (210 km).
Basin Size: 7,340 sq mi (19,000 km2).
Discharge:
     1.     Location: Braddock, PA.
     2.     Average: 12,650 cu ft/s (358 m3/s).
     3.     Maximum: 81,000 cu ft/s (2,300 m3/s).
Discharge:
     1.     Location: Masontown, PA.
     2.     Average: 8,433 cu ft/s (238.8 m3/s).
Tributaries:
Left: West Fork, Coal Run, Buffalo Creek, Hawkinburg
         Run, Paw Paw Creek, Pharoah Run, Parker Run,
         Indian Creek, Birchfield Run, Meadow Run, Broad
         Run, Dents Run, Scotts Run, Courtney Run,
         Robinson Run, Crooked Run, Dunkard Creek,
         Whitely Creek, Little Whiteley Creek, Pegs Run,
         Muddy Creek, Noel Run, Pumpkin Run, Rush Run,
         Tenmile Creek, Fishpot Run, Barney’s Run,
         Twomile Run, Lilly Run, Pike Run, Wood Run,
         Hooders Run, Maple Creek, Pigeon Creek, Dry
         Run, Mingo Creek, Huston Run, Lobbs Run,
         Peters Run, Thompson Run, Homestead Run,
         West Run, Streets Run, Becks Run.

Right: Tygart River, Prickett Creek, Little Creek,
           Whitedog Creek, Joes Run, Toms Run, Booths
           Run, Cobun Creek, Deekers Run, West Run,
           Laurel Run, Camp Run, Cheat River, George’s
           Run, Jacobs Creek, Cats Run, Browns Run,
           Middle Run, Antram Run, Wallace Run, Hereford
           Hollow, Bates Run, Meadow Run, Kelley Run,
           Rush Run, Dunlap Creek, Redstone Creek,
           Lamb Lick Run, Downers Run, Speers Run,
           Turkey Hollow, Beckers Run, Sunfish Run,
           Bunola Run, Kelly Run, Mill Run, Smiths Run,
           Fallen Timber Run, Wylie Run, Youghiogheny
           River, Crooked Run, Turtle Creek, Ninemile
           Run.

The Monongahela River valley was the site of a famous battle that was one of the first in the French and Indian War – the Braddock Expedition (May- July 1755). The end result was a sharp one for the two thousand British and Colonial forces against those of the French and their Native American allies.

In 1817, the Pennsylvania legislature authorized the Monongahela Navigation Company to build 16 dams with bypass locks to create a river transportation system between Pittsburgh and the area that would later become West Virginia. Originally planned to run as far south as the Cheat River, the system was extended to Fairmont, and bituminous coal from West Virginia was the chief product transported downstream. After a canal tunnel through Grant’s Hill in Pittsburgh was completed in 1832, boats could travel between the Monongahela River and the Western Division Canal of Pennsylvania’s principal east-west canal and railroad system, the Main Line of Public Works. In 1897, the federal government took possession of the Monongahela Navigation through condemnation proceedings. Later, the dam-lock combinations were increased in size and reduced in number.

Briefly linked to the Monongahela Navigation was the Youghiogheny Navigation, a slack water system of 18.5 miles between McKeesport and West Newton. It had two dam-locks overcoming a change in elevation of about 27 feet, and was opened in 1850, but was destroyed by a flood in 1865.

During the 19th century and well into the 20th, the Monongahela was heavily used by industry, and several U.S. Steel plants, including the Homestead Works, site of the Homestead Strike of 1892, were built along its banks. Other mills included the Edgar Thomson Works in Braddock, the first steelworks in the area, the Duquesne Works, and the Jones and Laughlin steel works on the south side of Pittsburgh. Only the Edgar Thomson works remain to produce steel along the river.

Despite the closure of many of the mills in the 1980s and 90s, the Monongahela is still an important waterway for industry. The Mon Valley Works of U.S. Steel operates three plants, including the Edgar Thomson plant for basic steel making, the Irvin plant for steel finishing, and the Clairton plant for coke production. Coal barges are a common sight on the river, and the railways that line either side are heavily used by freight. Other industries include power generation, chemicals, and recycling.

Three ships in the United States Navy have been named Monongahela after the river (USS Monongahela (1862) was launched in 1862 and served during the American Civil War, USS Monongahela (AO-42), was an oiler acquired by the US Navy in July 1942 and decommissioned August 1957, USS Monongahela (AO-178), was an oiler launched in 1979 and decommissioned in 1999). In October 1930, severe drought caused the river flow to drop below 10 cu ft/s, and in some places, it was possible to walk across the river floor.

The river was the site of a famous airplane crash that has become the subject of urban legends and conspiracy theories. Early on the morning of January 31, 1956, a B-25 bomber en route from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada to Olmstead Air Force Base in Pennsylvania crashed into the river near the Glenwood Bridge in Homestead, Pennsylvania. The six crewmen survived the initial crash, but two of them succumbed in the cold water and drowned. Despite the relatively shallow water, the aircraft was never recovered and became known as the “ghost bomber”. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette published a graphical representation of the flight path and flight details in 1999, and as of 2018, the bomber has not been found.