Did you know Ohio has a lost river that was once comparable in size to the Ohio River?

About 2 million years ago, the mighty Teays River flowed through a large portion of Ohio, draining nearly two-thirds of the state, according to this Division of Geological Survey from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Today, remnants of that ancient stream remain and the Ohio River now flows within segments of the Teays.

Much of the Ohio River's route was was established during the Pleistocene Ice Age by continental glaciers that blocked the Teays River.
James St. John/Flickr
Part of the modern Ohio River Valley was once the course of one of the major tributaries of the former Teays River. Pictured: The Ohio River, north of Powhatan Point, Ohio.
The Teays River's headwaters were located near Blowing Rock, North Carolina and the river flowed through Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois.
Wikimedia Commons
The Teays River extended northwest across Ohio from Huntington, West Virginia.

Related Stories

The Underrated Beach With The Whitest, Most Pristine Sand In Ohio

The Underrated Beach With The Whitest, Most Pristine Sand In Ohio

 11 Amazing Lake Trips You Need To Take In Ohio This Summer

11 Amazing Lake Trips You Need To Take In Ohio This Summer

 The Underrated Ohio Lake That's Perfect For A Summer Day

The Underrated Ohio Lake That's Perfect For A Summer Day
Multiple glacial advances are believed to have destroyed and rerouted the Teays River system, leading to the modern day Ohio River.
elycefeliz/Flickr
The exact course of the Taeays is hard for geologists to determine, as the valleys and other drainage systems were significantly changed by the Pleistocene glaciers.
Today, it is widely believed that the largest still-existing contributor to the former Teays River is actually the Kanawha River in West Virginia.
Marduk/WIkimedia Commons
Pictured is the Kanawha River from downtown Charleston.

Did you know about the Teays River? What do you think about it? (For more information, check out this Division of Geological Survey from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.) Let us know your thoughts!

And for more little-known Ohio geology, check out our previous article: One Of The Oddest Geological Wonders Is Located Right Here In Ohio.

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Related Articles

Explore Ohio