Boats on the Ohio

Ohio History

A Day on the River

Here’s another picturesque scene with sunlight dancing around bobbing boats. West Virginia actually owns this part of the Ohio River up to the low-water mark (that was Virginia’s original boundary). We traveled down the Ohio River past Buckley Island and then turned back. There was once an amusement park on the island—till it was destroyed by a flood! What a lovely ride!!

Paddle Wheel

Ohio History

Valley Gem Paddle Wheel

I can just feel the cold water splashing up from the churning paddle wheel in this picture! The top deck of the sternwheeler gave us this view right into the wheel. It was fun to sit up there as we passed under highway bridges over the river! On the lower deck, we got to stand next to the water rushing around the boat. The Ohio River was currently seventeen feet deep, according to the captain.

Valley Gem

Ohio History

Sun on the Confluence

Then we boarded the Valley Gem sternwheeler, just downriver from the Snyder, not just to look but for a ride! The one-and-a-half hour cruise took us down the Muskingum out to the confluence with the Ohio River. The river, dotted with little fishing boats, sparkled in the shimmering sun. There were dredgers working in the confluence, seen here as we enter the Ohio River from the Muskingum. 

W. P. Snyder Jr.

Ohio History

Snyder Paddlewheel

This boat was a workhorse in its day. The W. P. Snyder Jr. ferried barges of coal for Carnegie Steel and Crucible Steel Co. for almost 30 years. It was the last stern-wheeled towboat to operate in the U.S. We marveled at the four 28-foot-long boilers below that powered the engines to run the paddlewheel, towing the barges at only eight miles per hour. You might be surprised that Snyder still runs; at least after the latest repair to the hull (which only cost $1.5 million!).

Model Riverboat

Ohio History

The Pioneer

Is it hard to believe this model steamer actually worked? It’s 1:12 scale, 24 feet long, resembles a packet boat used to tow barges, and sports miniature railings, rigging, and even window sashes. The paddle wheel contains 412 wooden pieces! It was hard to imagine the man who built it actually sailing it down the Muskingum River—but we saw a photograph of him riding on it!

Ohio River Museum

Ohio History

Buckeye State

Stepping forward in time less than a century, we saw the river transformed by the steamboat. Burning coal to run a steam boiler which turned the paddle wheel, this locomotive of the river slashed time and cost in transporting farm goods and coal. The Ohio River Museum had lots of nice scale models of the classy boats. This one, the Buckeye State, holds the speed record of 43 hours from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh. Wow, that seems like a snail’s pace to us!

Putnam House

Ohio History

Rufus Putnam's House

The museum was actually built around this two-story house, right where it stood as part of the Campus Martius stockade. The fort looked like a row of apartments, forming a protected inner courtyard; blockhouses on the corners made it even safer. Remember, this is Indian country! The bell on the right was a gift from French Queen Marie Antoinette (hence the name “Marietta”). Interestingly enough, all the other houses were moved to other locations when their owners got land—Rufus Putnam is the only one who left his on the original site.

Campus Martius

Ohio History

Fort on the River

Are you tired of baby chick photos yet? Well, back to another historical trip, we’re taking the two-and-a-half hour drive to the southeast edge of Ohio: Marietta and the Ohio River. First we visited the Campus Martius Museum and saw a Conestoga wagon, surveyors’ equipment, and pioneer tools. This topographical model shows the Campus Martius fort built here on the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers in 1788. I thought it was pretty impressive!

Buckeye Lake

Ohio History

Clouds over the Lake

The picnic supper spot for this trip was Buckeye Lake, conveniently close to I-70 which we were taking home. This is a beautiful lake and even sports a cruise boat taking passengers for a ride. As you can see, stormy clouds were forming and it started to rain just as we left.

Flint Arrowheads

Ohio History

Flint Cores and Arrowhead

Here are some fine examples of the flint once it's been removed from the rock. These are the cores left over from large pieces of flint that have been chipped off to make tools. The arrowhead in the insert has been napped down to a razor-sharp blade on each side and tied to the stick with deer sinew (yuck!!). What is your favorite color of flint? I like the beautiful pinks, as well as the unusual deep blue you sometimes find.

Flint Ridge

Ohio History

Flint in the Rock

Did you ever wonder how the Indians made the tools to build all those mounds...and manufactured spearheads, arrows, and knives? We found out at the Flint Ridge Museum (also in Newark)—with flint! This beautiful, hard rock was mined in flint pits, then napped, or filed down, to nice sharp points. After marveling at the colorful samples of flint in the museum, we saw old flint-mining pits used by the Indians in the surrounding woods. The settlers even used flint for grindstones in their first mills!

Great Circle Mound

Ohio History

Into the Mound

Now for the real Indian stuff. Descending this stairway into the Great Circle Earthworks, we were surrounded by dirt walls. The ring-shaped mound stretching 1,200 feet across was really amazing—imagine hauling and shaping this much dirt with only hand tools and baskets! Inside the circle lay several smaller mounds called the Eagle Mound, as they resemble a bird in flight. An open gateway had been left at one end, and we had a good cross-section view of the towering height of the dirt walls!

Dawes Arboretum

Ohio History

Hedge Letters

If you want to be literally surrounded by Native American history, there’s one place in Ohio to visit: Newark. So that’s where we were headed for our next historic trip just northeast of Columbus. On the way, we stopped to enjoy Dawes Arboretum—but didn’t see all 1,800 acres! We did visit the All Seasons garden of gorgeous flowers, a shady cypress swamp, and a log cabin retreat in the woods. When we climbed into the 30-foot lookout, we saw shaped hedges that spelled…(what else?) DAWES ARBORETUM!