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Ohio River

Cheshire, Ohio Ramp (Mile 257.5) to Pomeroy-Mason or US33 Bridge (Mile 251.5)

Tuesday, June 26, 2012 (Revisited 2023 with additional notes in bold)

(Navigation Charts 157 and 158)

The boat ramp I started from today is located in Cheshire, Ohio.  It's a nice one that lies just upriver from the Kyger Power Plant and directly across the river from little Eight Mile Island (described in a previous downriver journal).  I was originally going to paddle downrver today, but once I got on the water I found that the wind was blowing just hard enough that I was going to have to paddle upriver instead.  On days like this when the water is calm such that current isn't a factor, I’ll start by paddling against the wind so that later in the day when I’m a little more tired the wind can be at my back.  NOTE: In 2023 I used the ramp in Mason, West Virginia which is across the river from Pomeroy.  It's a nice one that is pictured at the end of this journal.

Dominating the scene at this Cheshire put-in point is the power plant looming just downstream.  Just upstream, however, at mile 257 you'll encounter a large AEP (American Electric Power) river operation on the West Virginia side.  There were a couple boats docked here - the Legacy and a smaller one that I couldn’t quite make out the name of.  I’ve discovered that these smaller boats are usually dedicated to the particular spots they’re in.  Thus, this smaller boat might exclusively serve the power plant.  At any rate, there's usually a lot going on here.

In the next mile are a couple things.  On the Ohio side you'll find some barges embedded into the shoreline along with a business that the charts indicate as being the “J. Hall (Trust)”.  I can't find much information on any of it, but it definitely appears as it there was once much more life to this area.  In fact, there might once have been a small port here. 

Meanwhile, directly across the river in West Virginia I saw an abandoned old round, brick structure with spots where there might once have been windows (it looks to be off Tug Drive).  I wonder what this might have been...  The charts only indicate that the area is occassionally used as a loading point, but there are no indications as to what the structure might have been.  I did, however, see a family out enjoying this spot on my way back.  There are quite a few beach-like spots like this in this section - particularly on the West Virginia side - and the second photo below shows one that I stopped at later...

Next, you’ll find that the river will start to sweep to the right up ahead as you go under some power lines, and at the exact spot they cross you’ll find a little creek on the West Virginia side.  This creek is not indicated on the charts but there’s a large submerged rock at the mouth to distinguish it.  I was only able to get in a matter of several yards.  At the same time this bend in the river has occasioned a somewhat interesting shift in the road patterns on the Ohio side.  Looking at a map you’ll see that Ohio Route 7, a route that has been following just about every curve in the river since Huntington, will now abandon the river as it veers away North up to Marietta. 

Also of note in this stretch is a light and daymark on the Ohio side at mile 255.5, while in West Virginia you'll encounter a long line of recreational vehicles which today stretched for nearly ½ mile.  I saw indications as to the Olde Oak Campground and even Camp David here!  For that matter, there also seemed to be a few tiny communities on this side spaced about ½ mile of each other – Hallwood, West Columbia and New Castle were their names.  I some stone slabs that could have been headstones for graves, but to me they looked more like little concrete bridge supports.

Back in Ohio you’ll pass under a couple more sets of power lines at around mile 254.5 and then you’ll spot the mouth of the Leading Creek.  There's a real nice boat ramp not too far in (it's off of Page Street just outside Middleport, Ohio) and, as per a sign I saw, this is all part of what they call the Leading Creek Water Trail.  I thought this stream was super nice with a dense green canopy of trees hanging over much of the length.  I was able to make it back in a good mile and a half until the water started getting a little shallow and I felt self conscious paddling so close to the houses up on the bank.  I never want to bother anyone.  The point at which I stopped was very near where a third bridge crosses the water in quick succession. The first was apparently a railroad bridge, the second looked to be for County Highway 21 and the third I know was for Route 7.  The water was really clear in the back!

Once I got back to the Ohio River I took the first shot below looking downriver.  I love the perspective you get when you paddle out of these side streams.  I'd also be really impressed by the sight I saw upriver.  I’d noticed some barges, you see.   They were tall ones with canopies over them and they were moving so slowly that at first I thought they were standing still, so I paddled on over to the other side of the river.  Thing is, they weren't stationary!  With its “head” barely visible above the massive load it was carrying I was soon passed by a pushboat named The Nature's Way Commander.  It was valiantly striving to bring what was obviously a heavy load of 9 barges downstream.  This boat was an inspiration to me - a little engine that could, if you will. 

At any rate, once the Commander had passed I found it to be pretty quiet on the right, West Virginia side.  There was an ancient rusted barge at about the point of a cleared out sandy spot, another light and daymark just past mile 253 and a once fairly substantial yet now abandoned old loading dock at the site of the old Raven Hocking Coal Company at mile 252. 

Meanwhile, on the Ohio side, it will start to get a little busier as you’ll be able to see the beginnings of the community of Middleport, Ohio.   More on this village's history here, but it was apparently established in 1798 by a group of settlers who floated down from Marietta (about 80 miles upriver) in a flatboat.  They settled at the mouth of the Leading Creek at that time, but most of the town now seems to lie a little further upstream on the Ohio.  As for the name Middleport, it stems from the fact that this community is said to be midway between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.  Today I was lucky enough to have another towboat (the Dirk Taylor of S M I Marine Transportation) present this village to me on what looked like a platter of barges (in the second photo further below).

Middleport looks quite pleasant and I saw many people out enjoying walks along the river.  They’ve got a boat ramp here with a little fishing pier, but y’know what else they’ve got?  There’s a bed and breakfast up there within walking distance from the ramp – the Dowling House Bed and Breakfast!  According to the website the inn was originally owned by a riverboat captain named Downing who befriended none other than Mark Twain!  As such, the rooms are named after such characters as Huckleberry Finn and Becky Thatcher!  I’ve been looking for places that a paddler might easily stay on the river if they didn’t care to camp and this would appear to be a good option in Middleport.

Back in West Virginia you'll find the community of Clifton at mile 252.  A bit smaller in size than Middleport, you could be forgiven if - at first glance - you happened to confuse Clifton with a boat colony!  It’s got a line of boats and/or docks which looks to stretch just about its entire length.  All this time, of course, you’ll have been able to see the Pomeroy-Mason Bridge upstream with the city of Pomeroy, Ohio in the background.  The bridge reminded me of the one I saw downstream of Maysville, Kentucky back near mile 411 (the William Harsha Bridge) in that both of these spans are known as cable stayed bridges.  This simply means that they're supported by a number of cables that run to different towers.

Anyway, this Pomeroy-Mason Bridge is also known as the Bridge of Honor, and according to the web link it was completed in 2008 by the C.J. Mahan Construction Company.  It’s quite nice and I’d reach it just after passing a trio of what the charts indicated were ice piers on the Ohio side upstream from the Middleport ramp.  I encountered a couple rarities here - fellow paddlers!  These guys were canoeists and they appeared to really be loaded up with gear.  I wondered if they were paddling the entire length of the river…  [Since writing this I've been apprised of the significance of the ice piers by the Mayor of Middleport.  I'm told that the steamboats used to use them as effective shields against the river's ice flows in the winter.   Hiding behind them meant protection from being crushed by the ice.  Thank you Mayor Gerlach!]

Anyway, when I got up to the bridge I decided it was time to head back.  This was a little disappointing as I saw on the charts that there was a McDonalds with a boat dock up in Pomeroy, but I figured it would keep until next time. I can’t wait to see it though!  More on Pomeroy in my next, upriver journal.

Something of interest on the way back...  I thought I saw someone standing atop the summit of a rock outcrop (a promontory, I guess you’d call it) on the West Virginia side at about mile 253!  In looking at a blowup of the picture I took it now, though, it looks more like a little flag.  I also passed the scene below while paddling in this section too.  For pity's sake, will someone please comfort this very sad-looking stone wall?  It looks quite lonely…

These final photos were taken from the Mason public ramp that I used to paddle this section again in 2023.  There are facilities here and a playground too.  It looks like a farily safe, visible place as well.

DIRECTIONS:

This is another super-easy one since Cheshire is such a small town.  Cheshire is where the Kyger Power Plant is located.  All you have to do is follow Ohio Route 7 down from Marietta, up from Huntington or just get to the route and follow along it until you get to Cheshire.  The ramp is in the town park at the end of East Poplar Street on the northernmost side of town. County Road 39 will also will take you directly to this ramp.

The Mason, West Virginia ramp that I used in 2023 can be reached by heading toward the river along Pomeroy Street in town.  The street dead-ends at the ramp.  You can get directions by typing: "Mason City Park" into online maps.