Monongahela River

The Monongahela is formed by the confluence of the West Fork River and the Tygart Valley River at Fairmont, West Virginia. It is one of the largest rivers in the United States to flow generally northward. 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 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.

Two ships in the United States Navy have been named Monongahela for the river.

The Monongahela Valley was the site of the Whiskey Rebellion in 1794. Earlier, it 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 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]