MONONGAHELA RIVER


The South Tenth Street Bridge over the Monongahela River in Pittsburgh in 2005

The Monongahela River in Fairmont, West Virginia in 2006

Monongahela River Scene, 1857[7]

Opekiska Lock and Dam on the Monongahela River near Fairmont, West Virginia at river mile 115


The 'Monongahela River' (pronounced , also known locally as 'the Mon') is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in North-Central West Virginia and south western Pennsylvania in the United States. At Pittsburgh, it meets the Allegheny River to form the Ohio River.

Contents
Geography
History
Miscellany
Cities and towns along the Monongahela River
Variant names
See also
References
External links

Geography


The Monongahela is formed by the confluence of the West Fork River and the Tygart Valley River at Fairmont, West Virginia. The river is navigable its entire length with a series of locks and dams that maintain a minimum 9-ft depth to accommodate coal-laden barges. In Pennsylvania, the Monongahela is met by two major tributaries: the Cheat River, which joins at Point Marion, and the Youghiogheny River, which joins at McKeesport.
The Monongahela is one of the many rivers on Earth that flow northward for much of their length. While the Nile is in a class of its own, the Monongahela flows almost due north for 128 miles.

History


The Monongahela Valley was the site of a famous, if small battle that was one of the first in the French and Indian War (Braddock Expedition). It resulted in a sharp defeat for British and Colonial forces against those of the French and their Native American allies.
The Monongahela Valley was the site of the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794.
In the 19th Century, the Monongahela had been 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. Following the killing of several workers in the course of the strike, anarchist Emma Goldman wrote: "Words had lost their meaning in the face of the innocent blood spilled on the banks of the Monongahela."
Two ships in the United States Navy have been named ''Monongahela'' for the river.
The river was the site of a famous airplane crash that has become the subject of numerous urban legends and conspiracy theories. Early in 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 Homestead, Pennsylvania. All six crewmen survived the crash but two later succumbed to exposure and drowned. Despite the relative shallowness of the water, the aircraft was never recovered. [1]

Miscellany


Monongalia County, West Virginia is named for the river using a variant spelling.
"Monongahela" is uttered in the television show Seinfeld as one of Kramer's famous random expressions. The episode is the 23rd of the 6th season, "The Face Painter" The reference occurs around the 4-5 minute of the show.

Cities and towns along the Monongahela River


:''Sources'':[8][9]

Allenport, Pennsylvania
Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania
Braddock, Pennsylvania
Brownsville, Pennsylvania
California, Pennsylvania
Charleroi, Pennsylvania
Clairton, Pennsylvania
Coal Center, Pennsylvania
Donora, Pennsylvania
Dravosburg, Pennsylvania
Dunlevy, Pennsylvania
Duquesne, Pennsylvania
Elco, Pennsylvania
Elizabeth, Pennsylvania
Fairmont, West Virginia
Fayette City, Pennsylvania
Fredericktown-Millsboro, Pennsylvania
Glassport, Pennsylvania
Granville, West Virginia
Greensboro, Pennsylvania
Hiller, Pennsylvania
Homestead, Pennsylvania
McKeesport, Pennsylvania
Monessen, Pennsylvania

Monongahela, Pennsylvania
Morgantown, West Virginia
Munhall, Pennsylvania
Nemacolin, Pennsylvania
New Eagle, Pennsylvania
Newell, Pennsylvania
North Braddock, Pennsylvania
North Charleroi, Pennsylvania
North Versailles Township, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Point Marion, Pennsylvania
Port Vue, Pennsylvania
Rankin, Pennsylvania
Rivesville, West Virginia
Roscoe, Pennsylvania
Speers, Pennsylvania
Star City, West Virginia
Stockdale, Pennsylvania
West Brownsville, Pennsylvania
West Elizabeth, Pennsylvania
West Mifflin, Pennsylvania
Westover, West Virginia
Whitaker, Pennsylvania

Variant names


According to the Geographic Names Information System, the Monongahela River has also been known historically as:

★ Manaungahela River
★ Me-nan-gi-hil-li
★ Meh-non-au-au-ge-hel-al
★ Mehmannaunringgehlau
★ Mehmannauwinggehla
★ Mo-hon-ga-ly River
★ Mo-hon-galy River
★ Mo-hon-gey-e-la River
★ Mo-hong-gey-e-la River
★ Mohungahala River

★ Mohunghala River
★ Monaung River
★ Monaungahela River
★ Monna River
★ Monnyahela River
★ Monona River
★ Mononga River
★ Monongahalia River
★ Monongahaly River
★ Monongaheley River

★ Monongahelia River
★ Monongalia River
★ Monongalo River
★ Mononguhela River
★ Mononyahela River
★ Muddy River

See also



List of crossings of the Monongahela River

List of Pennsylvania rivers

List of West Virginia rivers

References


1. The Houghton Mifflin Dictionary of Geography, , , , Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997,
2. The West Virginia Encyclopedia, , William H., Gillespie, West Virginia Humanities Council, 2006,
3. United States Geological Survey; USGS 03075070 Monongahela River at Elizabeth, PA; retrieved March 13, 2007.
4. United States Geological Survey; USGS 03072655 Monongahela River near Masontown, PA; retrieved March 13, 2007.
5.
6. The West Virginia Encyclopedia, , Wallace, Venable, West Virginia Humanities Council, 2006,
7. Ballou's Pictorial, issue of 21 Feb 1857
8. Pennsylvania Atlas & Gazetteer, , , , DeLorme, 2003,
9. West Virginia Atlas & Gazetteer, , , , DeLorme, 1997,

External links



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