Allegheny River
The Allegheny River (/ˌælɪˈɡeɪni/ AL-ig-AY-nee) is a 325-mile-long (523 km) headwater stream of the Ohio River that is located in western Pennsylvania and New York in the United States. It runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border, northwesterly into New York, then in a zigzag southwesterly across the border and through Western Pennsylvania to join the Monongahela River at the Forks of the Ohio at Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
| Allegheny River | |
|---|---|
The Allegheny River with Freeport, Pennsylvania in the background | |
| Native name | Alikehane (Unami) |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Pennsylvania, New York |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Allegany Township, Pennsylvania, near Coudersport, Pennsylvania at the corner of Ben Green and Cobb Hill Roads |
| • coordinates | 41°52′22″N 77°52′30″W |
| • elevation | 2,450 ft (750 m) |
| Mouth | |
• location | Ohio River at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
• coordinates | 40°26′36″N 80°00′52″W |
• elevation | 712 ft (217 m) |
| Length | 325 mi (523 km) |
| Basin size | 11,580 sq mi (30,000 km2) |
| Discharge | |
| • average | 19,750 cu ft/s (559 m3/s) at the village of Natrona, PA (river mile 24.3) |
| Basin features | |
| Progression | Allegheny River → Ohio River → Mississippi River → Gulf of Mexico |
| Tributaries | |
| • left | Tionesta Creek, Clarion River, Redbank Creek, Mahoning Creek, Crooked Creek, Kiskiminetas River, Buffalo Creek, Chartiers Run |
| • right | Conewango Creek, Brokenstraw Creek, Oil Creek, French Creek, Bull Creek, Deer Creek, Squaw Run, Pine Creek, Girtys Run, Pucketa Creek |
National Wild and Scenic River | |
| Type | Recreational |
| Designated | April 20, 1992 |
The Allegheny River is, by volume, the main headstream of both the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Historically, the Allegheny was considered to be the upper Ohio River by both Native Americans and European settlers.
This shallow river has been made navigable upstream from Pittsburgh to East Brady by a series of locks and dams that were constructed during the early 20th century. A 24-mile-long portion of the upper river in Warren and McKean counties of Pennsylvania and Cattaraugus County in New York forms the Allegheny Reservoir, which was created by the erection of the Kinzua Dam in 1965 for flood control.
The name of the river is derived from one of a number of Delaware/Unami phrases that are homophones of the English name, with varying translations.