KET Preview Days 2004
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Rivers of North America
The Ohio River
(Click Play arrow for a two-minute excerpt.) [Help with RealPlayer®]
social studies, earth science, language arts; grades 4-8
22 minutes
Starting at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Ohio River travels 981 miles southwest—forming Kentucky’s northern border—before finally joining the Mississippi River at Cairo, Illinois. Its vibrant river valley and precious wildlife are shared by more than 25 million people. More than 230 million tons of cargo are transported along the Ohio River each year, and its 20 dams and 49 power-generating facilities provide electricity for 6% of the nation.
This 22-minute video from the Rivers of America series looks to both the past and the future as it explores how the Ohio River has shaped and continues to shape the vast North American landscape. Key topics introduced include headwaters, dams, watersheds, steamboats, fossil fuels, tributaries, river confluences, ecology, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Underground Railroad, the Ice Age, the French and Indian War, and the Ohio and Erie canals. Students will also meet such famous people as Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Douglas, Harriet Tubman, William Pitt, Andrew Carnegie, Chief Pontiac, and the ancient Mound Builders. Cities visited include Pittsburgh; Wheeling, WV; Cincinnati; Louisville; Evansville, IN; and Cairo, IL.