Reinventing the River City

As the first major U.S. urban center located west of the Appalachian Mountains, Cincinnati depended on the Ohio River for its early development, eventually becoming one of the country’s iconic river cities, with incredible growth during the golden age of steamboats. By the end of the nineteenth century, however, the river had lost its shine and became known as the “poor man’s highway.” The twentieth century ushered in a period of incredible activity concentrated on the Ohio River. Local elites began a series of infrastructural projects focused on transforming both the Ohio River and Cincinnati, bringing to the fore a new kind of river city. Unlike many water management projects that wanted to tame rivers, Cincinnati elites sought to build a sustained relationship with the Ohio River. For its part, the Ohio River actively took part in these projects, becoming a major contributor to the successful realization of elite objectives around urban growth, public health, and white supremacy.