USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -During the 1800s, the Ohio River became an important commercial route for residents in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois. Farmers and manufacturers sent their crops and finished products on flatboats and barges downstream to the Mississippi River and eventually on to New Orleans.

Detailed explanation-2: -Specifically, regions around the Ohio Valley into the Ohio River and up near the Great Lakes produced the largest controversy. France, who first discovered the Ohio country, claimed control because they had not only arrived in that area first but also established trading centers to ensure a lasting hold on the region.

Detailed explanation-3: -To connect the French settlements and to reach American Indian towns, the French used the rivers. The rivers were their main way of traveling. The French wanted to control the American Indian trade in the Ohio River Valley and keep the Pennsylvania traders out.

Detailed explanation-4: -Fertile soil, plentiful water, navigable rivers and access to regions west and south, such as St. Louis and New Orleans, made our region quite sought after by European powers colonizing North America.