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Book Title: Innovation Nation: The Ohio River Watershed and the Making of America

Subtitle: The Ohio River Watershed and the Making of America

by Debra Meyers, PhD; Paul A. Tenkotte, PhD; Carol Medlicott, Ph.D.; David E. Breetzke, MA; Robert Schrage, MA; Robert E. Miller, PhD; Michael O'Bryant, MA; Megan Chew, PhD; Kimberly Allen-Kattus, PhD; Don Heinrich Tolzmann, PhD; Francoise Knox-Kazimierczuk, PhD; Haley Martin, MA; Jessica Whitehead; Angelica Hardee, PhD; and Jenna Lowes

Edited by Paul A. Tenkotte, PhD and Debra Meyers, PhD

Book Description: This edited volume of personal stories and scholarly analysis will shed light on the 14-state Ohio River Region, underscoring its innovations in many fields and dispelling decades-long myths of rust belt decline. Rather, the Ohio River region has always been—and remains—a vital gateway of American commerce, history, politics, and society. For more than one hundred years, it was THE major gateway between the East and the West, the North and the South.

License:
Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial

Contents

Book Information

Book Description

This edited volume of personal stories and scholarly analysis will shed light on the 14-state Ohio River Region, underscoring its innovations in many fields and dispelling decades-long myths of rust belt decline. Rather, the Ohio River region has always been—and remains—a vital gateway of American commerce, history, politics, and society. For more than one hundred years, it was THE major gateway between the East and the West, the North and the South.

The Ohio River Gateway Region, home to 30 million people, encompasses a watershed of nearly 204,000 square miles and borders on six states (Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois). In addition, the watershed includes parts of eight other states (New York, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama). Formed by the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers in Pittsburgh, the Ohio River flows southwesterly to take in waters from its largest tributaries, the Kanawha, Wabash, Green, Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers. Major metropolitan cities in the region include Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Columbus, Louisville, Lexington, Indianapolis, Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga.

Today, the centrally located Ohio River region boasts some of the largest cargo airports in the world, including Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, the primary hub of UPS, that ranks as the sixth-largest cargo airport in the world and the third-largest in the United States. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International, the second-largest international hub of DHL, ranks as the sixth-busiest cargo airport in the nation.

Authors

Debra Meyers, PhD; Paul A. Tenkotte, PhD; Carol Medlicott, Ph.D.; David E. Breetzke, MA; Robert Schrage, MA; Robert E. Miller, PhD; Michael O'Bryant, MA; Megan Chew, PhD; Kimberly Allen-Kattus, PhD; Don Heinrich Tolzmann, PhD; Francoise Knox-Kazimierczuk, PhD; Haley Martin, MA; Jessica Whitehead; Angelica Hardee, PhD; and Jenna Lowes

License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Innovation Nation: The Ohio River Watershed and the Making of America Copyright © 2026 by Carol Medlicott, Ph.D. David E. Breetzke, MA Don Heinrich Tolzmann, PhD Debra Meyers, PhD Francoise Knox-Kazimierczuk, PhD Haley Martin, MA Jessica Whitehead Kimberly Allen-Kattus, PhD Mandy Askins Megan Chew, PhD Michael O'Bryant, MA Paul Tenkotte, PhD Robert E. Miller, PhD Robert Schrage, MA Angelica Hardee, PhD Jenna Lowes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

Subject

Social and cultural history

Metadata

Title
Innovation Nation: The Ohio River Watershed and the Making of America
Authors
Debra Meyers, PhD; Paul A. Tenkotte, PhD; Carol Medlicott, Ph.D.; David E. Breetzke, MA; Robert Schrage, MA; Robert E. Miller, PhD; Michael O'Bryant, MA; Megan Chew, PhD; Kimberly Allen-Kattus, PhD; Don Heinrich Tolzmann, PhD; Francoise Knox-Kazimierczuk, PhD; Haley Martin, MA; Jessica Whitehead; Angelica Hardee, PhD; and Jenna Lowes
Editors
Paul A. Tenkotte, PhD and Debra Meyers, PhD
Contributors
Carol Medlicott, Ph.D.; David E. Breetzke, MA; Don Heinrich Tolzmann, PhD; Debra Meyers, PhD; Francoise Knox-Kazimierczuk, PhD; Haley Martin, MA; Jessica Whitehead; Kimberly Allen-Kattus, PhD; Mandy Askins; Megan Chew, PhD; Michael O'Bryant, MA; Paul A. Tenkotte, PhD; Robert E. Miller, PhD; Robert Schrage, MA; Angelica Hardee, PhD; and Jenna Lowes
License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Innovation Nation: The Ohio River Watershed and the Making of America Copyright © 2026 by Carol Medlicott, Ph.D. David E. Breetzke, MA Don Heinrich Tolzmann, PhD Debra Meyers, PhD Francoise Knox-Kazimierczuk, PhD Haley Martin, MA Jessica Whitehead Kimberly Allen-Kattus, PhD Mandy Askins Megan Chew, PhD Michael O'Bryant, MA Paul Tenkotte, PhD Robert E. Miller, PhD Robert Schrage, MA Angelica Hardee, PhD Jenna Lowes is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

Primary Subject
Social and cultural history
Publisher
W. Frank Steely Library, Northern Kentucky University, in conjunction with the ORVILLE project
Publisher City
Highland Heights, KY
Publication Date
January 6, 2026