Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
The needs of a growing nation demanded that the Ohio River be harnessed and made a
working river. In 1824, Congress directed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin im-
proving the river for navigation. The corps set to work removing stumps, boulders, and
sandbars to better direct the river's flow and deepen the channel. By the 1850s, the corps
was using a fleet of especially designed snagboats such as this one.
