Monongahela River
| Monongahela River | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Mouth | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where it joins the Allegheny River to form the Ohio River |
The Monongahela River (pronounced [məˌnɑŋ.gəˈheɪ.lə], also known as The Mon) is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in West Virginia and Pennsylvania in the United States. At Pittsburgh, it meets the Allegheny River to form the Ohio River.
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 lock/dams ensuring a 9' depth. 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 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 Nineteenth Century the Monongahela has been heavily used by industry, and several U.S. Steel plants, including the Homestead Works (site of the Homestead strike), were built along its banks.
Following the killing of several workers in the course of the Homestead strike, Anarchist Emma Goldman wrote: "Words had lost their the 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 before being rescued. Despite the relative shallowness of the water, the aircraft was never recovered. [1]
Trivia
Monongalia County, West Virginia is named for the river using a variant spelling.
Cities and towns along the Monongahela River
Variant names
According to the Geographic Names Information System, the Monongahela River has also been known as:
|
|
|
See also
- ^ Ballou's Pictorial, issue of 21 Feb 1857