Educator Handbook: Cultural History at the Falls of the OhioCultural History
The cultural history of the Falls is both rich and varied. The first human habitation of the Falls reaches back about 12,000 years ago when the Paleo-Indian lived in the area. These early peoples were nomadic, following animal migrations and seeking raw materials such as high quality flint. They probably hunted mammoths, mastodons and other ice age mammals that are now extinct.
The Archaic people lived between 10,000 - 3,000 years ago. They were semi-nomadic tribes who moved seasonally to gather wild plants, to fish, and to hunt and trap animals. They produced tools such as adzes, axes, the compound spear (atlatl), and baskets. The native figure in the lobby exhibit (below) represents this group. The Woodland Culture developed in the region 2,000 - 1,000 years ago. They cultivated crops, established small villages with regional variations, buried their dead ceremoniously, used bows and arrows, and developed pottery techniques. Extensive trade networks were established. Large mound and earthwork complexes were built during this period.
Part of a diorama in the exhibit gallery Late Prehistoric Cultures flourished between 1,000 and 300 years ago. They developed maize agriculture, as part of adapting to a floodplain environment. These cultures developed into "chiefdoms" with complex political and social systems. Large "towns" were developed by building large platform mounds around a central plaza. These "towns" were often surrounded by a stockade.
Evidence of permanent settlements at the Falls of the Ohio by prehistoric peoples is considerable. Development of the cities around the Falls has destroyed many of these prehistoric sites. Construction of the levee following the 1937 flood heavily altered or destroyed sites near the Falls. Numerous prehistoric sites in the Louisville area have been destroyed by filling swamps and lakes. More recent development has destroyed more. Still, there is an abundance of evidence that people lived in the Falls area.
The first documented European occupation of the Falls occurred in 1778 when George Rogers Clark, with a group of militia and their families, established a settlement on Corn Island near present day Louisville. It was from here, he launched his successful military campaign in the Northwest Territories. Some have suggested, though not confirmed, that Robert LaSalle visited the Falls in the late 1600’s. Daniel Boone may have passed through in 1771.
After George Rogers Clark completed his military career and settled near the Falls, the area began to develop rapidly. Clark and his men were granted land in the area and Clark surveyed the town of Clarksville, Indiana. A representation of a cabin was assembled at his home site in 2001. In 1803, George Rogers Clark’s younger brother, William Clark, with his partner, Meriwether Lewis and the Corps of Discovery, began their famous exploration of the Louisiana Purchase near Mill Creek below the Falls. Look for a variety of events and exhibits between 2003 and 2006 for the bicentennial commemoration.
An interpreter talks to visitors at the cabin reconstructed at the George Rogers Clark home site at the Falls of the Ohio State Park Several famous people visited and lived near the Falls. In the early 1800's, Henry Clay and Humphrey Marshall fought a duel at Silver Creek. John James Audubon lived in the Falls area from 1807-1810, where he completed many bird paintings.
Other famous dignitaries who visited the Falls include Presidents James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, Abraham Lincoln, and Herbert Hoover (also a geologist). Visiting literary figures include Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, and Walt Whitman. Mike Fink, the legendary “riverman,” visited. Big Jim Porter, the “Kentucky Giant,” ran a tavern on Shippingport Island (at that time a thriving community).
As navigation and commerce expanded on the Ohio River, the need for controlling the depth and flow of the river increased. To circumvent the dangerous rapids at the Falls of the Ohio, the Portland canal with locks was dug over several years and completed in 1830. Over the years, it was enlarged to handle bigger steamboats. The first dam on the Ohio River was constructed beginning in 1868. Due to frequent interruptions by high water and runaway barges, the dam was not completed until 1881. Boule Dam construction 1881 (U. S. Army Corps of Engineers photo) The Ohio River Canalization Project was created to improve river navigation. A series of dams were constructed to control the river flow. The wickets consisted of 58 dams made of wood and metal which had to be raised and lowered individually by manual labor. The dam at the falls was number 41. Wicket construction began in 1885 and was completed in 1929. A decision was made to replace the wickets with a series of mechanized locks and dams. Currently, 20 locks and dams help maintain water levels throughout the entire Ohio River system. Two wicket dams, dams #52 and #53, are slated to be replaced by a new dam near the mouth of the Ohio. The McAlpine Dam at the Falls of the Ohio was completed in 1964, replacing the aging wooden wickets. The locks and dams on the Ohio are operated and maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers, who are responsible for controlling the water level in the river. McAlpine Locks and Dam, ca. 1960s (U. S. Army Corps of Engineers photo) In 1982, after immense effort by groups and individuals, 1404 acres of the Falls were designated a National Wildlife Conservation Area administered by the Army Corps of Engineers. In 1990, a section of the area became the Falls of the Ohio State Park, administered by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks. The state park designation gave impetus to the construction of the Falls of the Ohio Interpretive Center, a 16,000 square feet, 5.1 million dollar visitor exhibit complex. Between 2000 and 2003 another 76 acres of wetlands were added to the Falls of the Ohio State Park near the George Rogers Clark home site. Its primary use is a nature preserve, since it floods frequently.
Falls of the Ohio in the year 1600 Giant mural in the lobby of the Interpretive Center Created January 25, 2010 |
