- The river was originally called “keenhongsheconsepung” by the Delaware Native Americans, which means “sharp tool river” or “whetstone river” in their language.
- In 1833, the Ohio General Assembly passed a law to restore Native American names to certain rivers, but mistakenly gave the Olentangy River the name “Olentangy”, which actually belonged to Big Darby Creek.
- The name “Olentangy” means “river of red face paint”, as that was where the Wyandots of the Columbus area obtained their red face paint, but this name was incorrectly applied to the Olentangy River.
- The Olentangy River should have been named the “Whetstone River”, as both Native Americans and early settlers used the black shale along the river’s banks as whetstones to sharpen their tools.
- The Olentangy River originates in Crawford County and flows approximately 97 miles south through Delaware and Franklin counties before joining the Scioto River in Columbus.
- In 1951, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers constructed the Delaware Dam and Reservoir along the Olentangy River for flood control purposes.
- In 2012, the Ohio EPA and City of Columbus began removing some of the low-head dams that crossed the Olentangy River in order to restore the river’s natural width and banks.
- The Olentangy River was designated as a State Scenic River by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in 2005, covering a 22-mile stretch from Delaware Dam to Old Wilson Bridge Road in Worthington.
- The Olentangy River was designated as a State Scenic River by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in 2005, covering a 22-mile stretch from Delaware Dam to Old Wilson Bridge Road in Worthington.
- And — as Galionites know well — not only does the Olentangy begin just south and east of our city, but its name features in the two volume history of our community written by local historian Dr. Bernard Mansfield, called “The Olentangy Legacy.”
Ten Quick Facts About The History Of The Olentangy River
The river was originally called “keenhongsheconsepung.”
