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44-694: The southern terminus of the canal was the confluence of the Beaver River with the Ohio River in Beaver County about 20 miles (32 km) downstream from Pittsburgh , and the northern terminus was the city of Erie , in Erie County. The canal needed a total of 137 locks to overcome a change in elevation of 977 feet (298 m). Construction of the canal was meant to complete a transport network through northwestern Pennsylvania that would connect Lake Erie with

88-582: A song entitled "Allegheny Lullaby" that detailed life along the Allegheny in late 20th century Rust Belt towns, the river serving as a metaphor for escape. In 2008, Katie Spotz became the first person to swim the entire 325 mi (523 km) of the Allegheny River; she was accompanied by safety kayaker, James Hendershott. The team began at the river's source in Warren, Pennsylvania on July 22 and finished at

132-505: Is a Lenape legend of a tribe called "Talligewi" who used to live along the river. Frederick Webb Hodge cited Henry Schoolcraft to connect the "Talligewi" to the Cherokee . The following account of the origin of the name Allegheny was given in 1780 by Moravian missionary David Zeisberger : "All this land and region, stretching as far as the creeks and waters that flow into the Alleghene

176-819: Is a 325-mile-long (523 km) tributary of the Ohio River that is located in western Pennsylvania and New York in the United States. It runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border, northwesterly into New York, then in a zigzag southwesterly across the border and through Western Pennsylvania to join the Monongahela River at the Forks of the Ohio at Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania. The Allegheny River is, by volume,

220-575: Is also impounded by the Kinzua Dam in northwestern Pennsylvania, resulting in the Allegheny Reservoir also known as Kinzua Lake and Lake Perfidy among the Seneca. The Seneca Pumped Storage Generating Station is associated with Kinzua Dam. Numerous bridges and tunnels span the river throughout its course. The Allegheny River Tunnel , utilized by Pittsburgh Light Rail , went into service in 2012. In

264-475: The Allegheny Reservoir , which was created by the erection of the Kinzua Dam in 1965 for flood control . The name of the river is derived from one of a number of Delaware / Unami phrases that are homophones of the English name, with varying translations. The name Allegheny probably comes from Lenape welhik hane or oolikhanna, which means 'best flowing river of the hills' or 'beautiful stream'. There

308-434: The Allegheny Reservoir . After re-entering Pennsylvania, the river is joined from the east by Kinzua Creek 10 mi (16 km) upstream of Warren; from the north by Conewango Creek at Warren; from the west by Brokenstraw Creek ; from the east by East Hickory Creek at East Hickory; from the east by Tionesta Creek at Tionesta; from the north by Oil Creek at Oil City; from the west by French Creek at Franklin; from

352-587: The Mahoning and Shenango rivers in the Mahoningtown neighborhood of New Castle . It flows generally south, past West Pittsburg and Homewood , then receives Connoquenessing Creek west of Ellwood City and flows past Beaver Falls and New Brighton . It joins the Ohio at Bridgewater and Rochester (flowing between those towns) at the downstream end of a sharp bend in the Ohio approximately 20 mi (32 km) northwest of (and downstream from) Pittsburgh. In

396-491: The North Side , downtown Pittsburgh , and Point State Park . The Allegheny joins with the Monongahela River at the "Point" in downtown Pittsburgh to form the Ohio River . The river is approximately 325 mi (523 km) long, running through the U.S. states of New York and Pennsylvania . It drains a rural dissected plateau of 11,580 sq mi (30,000 km ) in the northern Allegheny Plateau , providing

440-622: The Ohio and Erie Canal in Ohio. Another east–west canal, the French Creek Feeder, brought additional water into Conneaut Lake at the same time it provided a transportation corridor. It ran 25 miles (40 km) from near Meadville , where it connected with the Franklin Line canal of 22 miles (35 km) running along French Creek to Franklin . At its southern terminus near Beaver, the Beaver and Erie

484-532: The 600 acres (2.4 km) of Pymatuning Reservoir west of the canal. Download coordinates as: Beaver River (Pennsylvania) Beaver River is a tributary of the Ohio River in Western Pennsylvania . Approximately 21 mi (34 km) long, it flows through a historically important coal -producing region north of Pittsburgh . The river is formed in Lawrence County by the confluence of

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528-543: The Allegheny River is joined from the south by Potato Creek 1.7 mi (2.7 km) downstream of Coryville , Pennsylvania and from the north by Olean Creek at Olean, New York. Tunungwant "Tuna" Creek joins the river from the south in Carrollton, New York (flowing north from Bradford, Pennsylvania); the Great Valley Creek and Little Valley Creek join the river from the north at Salamanca, New York before becoming

572-488: The Allegheny River several miles downstream from Warren. During the campaign for the 1960 United States presidential election , John F. Kennedy assured the Seneca Nation that he would oppose the dam if elected. However, he failed to follow through on his pledge upon becoming president. In 1992, 86.6 mi (139.4 km) of the Allegheny River was designated Wild and Scenic . This designation comprises three segments of

616-508: The Allegheny River; and the small village of Kinzua , which was located at the confluence of Kinzua Creek with the Allegheny River. All residents of both villages were forced to move. Many prominent individuals opposed the construction of the dam at that time because of the damage it would do to Seneca lands, including Pennsylvania Congressman John P. Saylor of Johnstown , and Howard Zahniser , executive director of The Wilderness Society and native of Tionesta—a small settlement located along

660-483: The Allegheny and Ohio rivers as the same, as is suggested by a New York State road sign on Interstate 86 that refers to the Allegheny River also as Ohiːyo' . The Geographic Names Information System lists O-hee-yo and O-hi-o as variant names. The river is called Ohi:'i:o` (river beautiful) in the Seneca language . In New York, areas around the river are often named with the alternate spelling Allegany in reference to

704-474: The Beaver and Erie Canal filled at its highest elevation, the state built a feeder canal. The French Creek Feeder, as it was called, ran from a dam built for the purpose on the Bemus farm, 2 miles (3 km) north of Meadville. Water from the dam pool, at a higher elevation than the lake, flowed south through Meadville. It crossed French Creek by aqueduct at Shaw's Landing, where locks enabled boats to transfer between

748-575: The Conneaut Division to Erie, 45 miles (72 km) further north. Taking over the Conneaut Division from the state in 1843, the Erie Canal Company finished construction in 1844, when the entire length of the three divisions became open to traffic. Two east–west canals connected to the Beaver and Erie. New Castle , which the Beaver and Erie served, was the eastern terminus of Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal , which ran 91 miles (146 km) west to

792-573: The Delawares called Alligewinenk, which means 'a land into which they came from distant parts'. The river itself, however, is called Alligewi Sipo. The whites have made Alleghene out of this, the Six Nations calling the river the Ohio." The Delaware Tribe of Indians gives the Lenape name as Alikehane , "river where footprints can be seen." Native Americans, including the Lenape and Iroquois , considered

836-744: The Ohio River; the Main Line of Public Works , a canal which joined Philadelphia to Pittsburgh ; and the Erie Canal , which connected Albany, New York , to Lake Erie. The Beaver Division, begun in 1831, extended 31 miles (50 km) from Beaver along the Beaver River and the Shenango River to Pulaski . In 1836, work began on the Shenango Division extension of 61 miles (98 km) from Pulaski to Conneaut Lake , and in 1838 contracts were awarded for

880-466: The canal and the creek. Beyond the landing, the canal turned northwest and flowed into the lake. Engineering on these projects included raising the Conneaut Lake dam by 11 feet (3.4 m) and adding another short canal to carry water to a pumping station for the Beaver and Erie. The French Creek Feeder was completed to Meadville in 1828 and reached Conneaut Lake in 1834. After the Beaver and Erie Canal

924-635: The canal's abandonment in 1872. Canal sections exist near Shenango River Lake near Hermitage . Well-preserved remains of Lock Number 10 are found in Sharpsville , about a 0.5 miles (0.8 km) south of the Shenango Dam. Maintained for hiking, the Shenango Trail follows the old canal towpath . It runs about 8 miles (13 km) along the east side of the Shenango River from Kidd's Mill Covered Bridge to

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968-583: The completion of the federally sponsored Kinzua Dam for flood -control in northwestern Pennsylvania east of Warren created the long Allegheny Reservoir , known as Lake Perfidy among the Seneca, part of which is included in the Allegheny National Recreation Area . The dam flooded parts of lands deeded "forever" to the Seneca Nation of Indians by the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua , and lands given to Cornplanter and his descendants. The event

1012-722: The confluence of Lackawannock Creek and the river. Canal artifacts and a replica of a canal boat, the Rufus S. Reed , are on display at the Greenville Canal Museum in Greenville , on the Shenango River 72 miles (116 km) northwest of Pittsburgh. Some canal facilities at Bridgewater , at the canal's southern end, remain; they are a part of the Bridgewater Historic District . Because Conneaut Lake, fed mainly by springs and small streams, did not have enough water to keep

1056-542: The confluence of the Monongahela River and Allegheny form the Ohio River at downtown Pittsburgh. Many additional streams enter or join with the Allegheny River along its course. Several locks were built in the early 20th century to make the Allegheny River navigable for 72 miles upstream from Pittsburgh to East Brady . The Allegheny River has eight locks and fixed-crest dams numbered two through nine: Allegheny River Lock and Dam No. 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 which form corresponding reservoirs. The river

1100-569: The east by the Clarion River , a principal tributary, at Parker; from the east by Crooked Creek southeast of Kittanning; and from the east by the Kiskiminetas River , another principal tributary, at Schenley. Buffalo Creek enters at Freeport, Chartiers Run enters at Lower Burrell, Bull Creek enters at Tarentum, Pucketa Creek enters near New Kensington, Riddle Run enters at Springdale, and Girtys Run enters at Millvale. And finally,

1144-588: The eastern triple divide . The stream flows south and passes under Pennsylvania Route 49 11 miles northeast of Coudersport where a historical marker that declares the start of the river is located. Cobb Hill is about a mile north. The stream flows southwest paralleling Route 49 to Coudersport. It continues west to Port Allegany then turns north into western New York, looping westward across southern Cattaraugus County for approximately 30 miles (48 km), past Portville , Olean , Allegany and Salamanca and flowing through Seneca Indian Nation lands close to

1188-630: The expansion of Anglo-American settlement into the Allegheny Valley and the surrounding Ohio Country was a primary cause of the French and Indian War in the 1750s. During the war, the village of Kittanning – the principal Shawnee settlement on the river – was completely destroyed during the Kittanning Expedition , which saw 300 provincial troops from the Province of Pennsylvania brutally attack

1232-584: The latter half of the 17th century, control of the river valley passed back-and-forth between Algonquian -speaking Shawnee and the Iroquois . By the time of the arrival of French colonialists in the early 18th century, the Shawnee were once again in control and formed an alliance with France against attempts by colonists from British North America to settler across the Allegheny Mountains . The conflict over

1276-407: The locks, and the creek often lacked sufficient water to carry them. In 1837, high water caused severe damage to the short-lived system, which was allowed to decline. The canal passed along a causeway of 3 miles (4.8 km) through what later became Pymatuning State Park at Hartstown, Pennsylvania . The causeway was built through Pymatuning Swamp by the Erie Canal Company, effectively forming

1320-445: The lower reaches near the Ohio River, the Beaver cuts through a gorge of underlying sandstone . The river is roughly parallel to the border with the state of Ohio , with both Interstate 376 and Pennsylvania Route 18 running parallel to the river itself. The river, which flows throughout the northern half of Beaver County , is the namesake of the county as well as several locales in both Beaver and Lawrence County. The river itself

1364-585: The main headstream of both the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers . Historically, the Allegheny was considered to be the upper Ohio River by both Native Americans and European settlers. This shallow river has been made navigable upstream from Pittsburgh to East Brady by a series of locks and dams that were constructed during the early 20th century. A 24-mile-long portion of the upper river in Warren and McKean counties of Pennsylvania and Cattaraugus County in New York forms

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1408-427: The main canal would divert business from Franklin, persuaded the state to build a system of locks and dams on French Creek below Shaw's Landing at Meadville. This canal, the Franklin Line, opened in 1833. Although the Franklin Line made it easier for boats to travel between Franklin and Meadville, it made it harder for rafts, which depended on river currents and were too big for the locks. Large boats also had trouble with

1452-603: The northeasternmost drainage in the watershed of the Mississippi River. Its tributaries reach to within 8 mi (13 km) of Lake Erie in southwestern New York. Water from the Allegheny River eventually flows into the Gulf of Mexico via the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. The Allegheny Valley has been one of the most productive areas of fossil fuel extraction in United States history, with its extensive deposits of coal , petroleum , and natural gas . In its upper reaches,

1496-420: The northern boundary of Allegany State Park before re-entering northwestern Pennsylvania within the Allegheny Reservoir just east of the Warren - McKean county line, approx. 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Warren . It flows in a broad zigzag course generally southwest across Western Pennsylvania ; first flowing southwest past Warren, Tidioute , Tionesta , Oil City , and Franklin , forming much of

1540-516: The northwestern boundary of Allegheny National Forest . South of Franklin it turns southeast across Clarion County in a meandering course, then turns again southwest across Armstrong County , flowing past Kittanning , Ford City , Clinton , and Freeport . The river enters both Allegheny and Westmoreland counties, the Pittsburgh suburbs , and the City of Pittsburgh from the northeast. It passes

1584-552: The river at Titusville . One of the underlying premises of the Genesee Valley Canal was its connection to the river, opening a trade route from Rochester , New York to the west. The advent of the railroads obviated any interest Pennsylvania might have had in participating to improve navigation on the river. The canal was closed in 1877 and the right-of-way sold to the Genesee Valley Canal Railroad . In 1965,

1628-418: The river became a principal means of navigation in the upper Ohio valley, especially for the transport of coal. Although the building of the railroads lessened the importance of the river somewhat, the lower river (navigable as far as East Brady , Pennsylvania through locks) has continued to serve as a route of commercial transportation until the present day. In 1859, the first U.S. petroleum was drilled north of

1672-483: The river located in Warren , Forest , and Venango counties. Depression-era folk singer Buster Red recorded "Allegheny River", wherein the river is a destructive force throughout life, but not necessarily a malignant one. Folksinger Pete Seeger's song "Where the Old Allegheny and Monongahela Flow", depicts a character living in a city pining for a return to the Allegheny River. Old Crow Medicine Show released

1716-639: The river; for example, the Village of Allegany and Allegany State Park . Port Allegany, located along the river in Pennsylvania near the border with New York, also follows this pattern. The Allegheny River rises in north central Pennsylvania, on Cobb Hill in Allegany Township in north central Potter County , 8 miles (13 km) south of the New York–Pennsylvania border and a few miles northwest of

1760-591: The settlement. After gaining control of the area in the 1763 Treaty of Paris , the British kept the area closed to Anglo-American colonists, in part to repair and maintain relations with the Native Americans. After the American Revolutionary War , the entire river valley became part of the new United States , and U.S. settlers forcibly displaced the region's indigenous population. During the 19th century,

1804-525: Was abandoned, the dam at Conneaut Lake was lowered. Also abandoned was the French Creek Feeder, though for a while it still flowed through Meadville. The Crawford County Historical Society has preserved a small part of the feeder canal. Downstream from Meadville lay the town of Franklin at the confluence of French Creek with the Allegheny River . Merchants there, concerned that the feeder canal and

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1848-665: Was described in the Johnny Cash song "As Long as the Grass Shall Grow" from the 1964 album Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian , which focused on the history of and problems facing Native Americans in the United States. The construction of the dam and the filling of the Allegheny Reservoir also necessitated the elimination of the small village of Corydon , which was located at the confluence of Willow Creek with

1892-528: Was either named for King Beaver ( Tamaqua ) of the Delaware nation that had migrated to the area in the late 1740s, or for the animal . Until the partition of Lawrence County from parts of Beaver and Mercer County in 1849, the river was entirely in Beaver County, with its upstream terminus at the border between Beaver and Mercer County from 1800 to 1849. Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( / ˌ æ l ɪ ˈ ɡ eɪ n i / AL -ig- AY -nee )

1936-550: Was linked by the Ohio River to Pittsburgh and the principal east-west Pennsylvania transportation system of the time, the Main Line of Public Works. Bringing new business to communities such as Conneautville , which shipped timber and hay to Pittsburgh, the Beaver and Erie Canal was heavily used in its early years but was hard to maintain. Competition from railroads and the collapse of an aqueduct over Elk Creek in Erie County led to

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