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The 981 Project Podcast

The 981 Project Podcast

Auteur(s): Tamela Rich
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 Join Tamela Rich for dispatches from all 981 miles of the Ohio River: people, places, history, culture, and more.

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  • June Trivia: Fire on the Water

    June Trivia: Fire on the Water
    Jun 19 2025
    Hello friends, My personal update is short and sweet: I am now a mother-in-law. My eldest son tied the knot on June 6 in a lovely garden ceremony. Arizona-based family joined us in North Carolina and we played cards, had a cookout, and sorted through a big box of family photos. Oh, the memories—remembered and made!Life is short, my friends. Give love the room it needs to overcome your fears.June has always been a month of thresholds—marriages, migrations, and moments that ripple outward. One such moment happened fifty-six years ago, when a river caught fire and Americans could no longer look away. On June 22, 1969, the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland caught fire for at least the thirteenth time. That blaze gained national attention—especially after Time magazine published dramatic photos (actually from the 1952 fire) and highlighted it as a symbol of unchecked industrial pollution.What does this have to do with the Ohio River? The Cuyahoga fire became a tipping point for public awareness. It wasn’t the largest fire, or the most destructive—but it was the one America saw. And it helped spark a movement that culminated in the Clean Water Act of 1972.The Ohio River, running through the heart of the country’s manufacturing corridor, never made headlines for catching fire, but it was every bit as polluted. Its legacy was slow violence: toxic water, chronic illness, ecological collapse—and a long path toward repair.This month’s quiz explores the murky legacy of Ohio River pollution. But first, let’s go down Memory Lane with this SNL skit for Swill Water, with pitchman Bill Murray. (Swill is reputedly sourced from Lake Erie). Note to my fantastic new subscribers:Monthly trivia is for sport. It’s not a test of intelligence or character. I couldn’t answer these questions without a significant amount of research, either! Do your best and enjoy learning something new.Would you share this quiz with someone else? Please?QUESTIONSAnswers in the footnotes. Have fun (despite the subject matter)!* True or false? Matchbox once sold a Swill Water delivery truck toy. * How did the environmental crises of the Cuyahoga and Ohio rivers differ in terms of public impact and perception? More than one applies.* The Cuyahoga River caught fire multiple times, becoming a national symbol of pollution.* The Ohio River was less polluted than the Cuyahoga and received little attention.* The Ohio River suffered chronic industrial and sewage pollution but lacked a dramatic event to trigger public outrage.* Both rivers experienced visible and dangerous pollution, but only the Cuyahoga catalyzed federal environmental reform.* Which of the following factors help explain why the Cuyahoga River caught fire while the Ohio River did not, despite both suffering significant industrial pollution? More than one may apply.* The Cuyahoga's lower stretch is slow-moving and canal-like, allowing flammable substances to accumulate.* The Ohio River's faster current and larger volume dispersed pollutants more effectively.* The Cuyahoga passed directly through dense clusters of oil refineries and steel mills.* The Ohio River was better regulated and kept cleaner during the industrial era.* Which of the following statements accurately describe historical and current restrictions on swimming in the Ohio River? Choose more than one answer.* In many industrial-era cities, swimming in the Ohio River was banned or strongly discouraged due to health risks.* The Clean Water Act immediately made all sections of the Ohio River safe for recreational use.* Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) still lead to modern-day swimming advisories after heavy rain. * ORSANCO (The Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission) and local agencies have continued to monitor bacteria levels and advise against swimming in certain areas.* What were typical forms of industrial waste discharged into the Ohio River before the 1970s? Choose as many as apply.* Heavy metals* Oil and grease* Plastic pellets* Slaughterhouse refuse* How can pollution from a small industrial spill—like one near Union Carbide’s Institute, West Virginia plant in 1985—ultimately affect the Ohio River, even if toxins aren’t dumped directly into it? More than one applies.* The chemicals can travel through connected creeks and tributaries that feed the river* Rainfall and groundwater flow can carry pollutants downstream over time* Some pollutants may settle in soil or sediment but later remobilize during storms or floods* The Ohio River watershed includes many smaller waterways that drain into it* You may have missed the 2019 film, Dark Waters. Based on a true story, the film follows Rob Bilott, a corporate defense attorney (played by Mark Ruffalo) who takes on an environmental lawsuit against DuPont. The case centers on decades of PFAS pollution in Parkersburg, West Virginia, where DuPont knowingly released toxic chemicals, evaded regulation, and spread PFAS globally—into drinking water, ...
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    29 min
  • May Trivia: Indian History in the Ohio River Border States

    May Trivia: Indian History in the Ohio River Border States
    May 17 2025
    I recently visited a restored archeological site in the Sonoran Desert. Today it’s known as Besh Ba Gowah, a term roughly translated from the Apache meaning “place of metal.”Besh Ba Gowah made me realize how little I knew about native people in the Ohio River Valley, and that’s what inspired this month’s trivia quiz.Did it ever occur to you that there are no Indian reservations in the Ohio River border states? Why is that?Today, the absence of federally recognized reservations in the Ohio River border states is largely due to three factors: 1) historical displacement, 2) lack of territorial continuity leading to assimilation, and 3) the erosion of Native sovereignty through federal policies that led to economic control of these peoples by the U.S. government.While some tribes in the region, like the Shawnee and Miami, have regained federal recognition in recent decades, they do not have large, contiguous reservations like those in the western U.S.You might first think this happened as a result of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which initiated a mass exodus of Native Americans, particularly from the southeastern U.S., to what is now Oklahoma, known as the Trail of Tears. While many tribes in the Ohio River border states were forcibly removed, some, like the Shawnee and Miami, were fragmented and dispersed across various regions. Those who remained were often not granted land rights or reservations.However, the effort to erase Indian peoples and culture began much earlier than that Act. Land treaties and military conflict forced tribes in the Ohio Valley to cede large portions of their land. The Treaty of Greenville (1795), which followed the defeat of Native forces in the Battle of Fallen Timbers (1794), is a notable example of such a land cession. Tribes were often coerced or manipulated into giving up their territories in exchange for meager concessions, setting the stage for further removal.In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the U.S. government adopted policies of assimilation aimed at integrating Native Americans into mainstream American society. The Dawes Act of 1887, which sought to break up tribal lands into individual allotments, further weakened Native communities and prevented the establishment of reservations.As a result of these policies, Native American populations in the Ohio River border states were marginalized, and many tribes lost federal recognition, making it difficult for them to claim land for reservations. Tribal members were often forced into state-controlled systems, which did not allow for the formation of reservations.This website by the Chickasaw Nation is a treasure trove of video interviews and other resources.Now on to the quiz!Note to my fantastic new subscribers:Monthly trivia is for sport. It’s not a test of intelligence or character. I couldn’t answer these questions without a significant amount of research, either! Do your best and enjoy learning something new.Would you share this quiz with someone else? Please?QUESTIONSAnswers in the footnotes. Have fun!* What was the primary effect of the 1763 Treaty of Paris, following the end of the French and Indian War, on Native American tribes living in the Ohio River Valley?* It granted Native Americans sovereignty over their lands* It established new boundaries that restricted Native Americans to specific territories* It allowed Native Americans to trade freely with European settlers.* It recognized Native American alliances with the French* The Treaty of Greenville (1795) was significant because it marked a major land cession by Native tribes in the Ohio River Valley. What did the U.S. government promise in exchange? More than one may apply.* Monetary compensation and trade goods for the land* A formal apology for the destruction of Native villages* Military support in protecting Native lands from further encroachment* The return of some land taken by settlers* Which Native American leader, who fought to protect his people’s land from European encroachment in the Ohio River Valley, became well-known after his leadership during the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811?* Tecumseh* Pontiac* Blue Jacket* Standing Bear* What were the main reasons for passing the Indian Removal Act of 1830? More than one applies.* To relocate Native American tribes to reservations in the western territories* To provide land for European settlers to expand westward* To grant Native American tribes sovereignty over their lands* To forcibly assimilate Native Americans into European-American agricultural practices* The U.S. government created reservations for Native American tribes in the 19th century. Legislators didn’t come up with this concept on their own. What practices elsewhere inspired this policy? Yes, this is an essay question.* Why were Native American tribes in the Ohio River border states (like the Shawnee and Miami) particularly vulnerable to displacement during the early 19th century? More than one may apply.* They ...
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    32 min
  • It's April Trivia Time!

    It's April Trivia Time!
    Apr 27 2025
    I’m sending this from somewhere between North Carolina and Phoenix, Arizona during my trip to visit family. I had to delay my motorcycle trip by five days waiting for the turbulent storms to dissipate in the lower Midwest and upper South, which has led to extremely high waters along our beloved Ohio River. The Associated Press has revived historical memories of the Great Flood of 1937, which killed 385 people and left approximately one million homeless from Pittsburgh to Cairo, Illinois. I wrote my last newsletter about the Covington flood wall murals, which have been doing strong work this spring, and I’m continuing the theme today with flood wall mural trivia. Note to my fantastic new subscribers:Monthly trivia is for sport. It’s not a test of intelligence or character. I couldn’t answer these questions without a significant amount of research, either! Do your best and enjoy learning something new. Oh, and if you do, would you share the quiz with someone else?QUESTIONSAnswers in the footnotes.* Who painted the Covington flood wall murals?a) Diego Rivera started them before his death. His large frescoes helped establish the mural movement.b) Robert Dafford painted them all. He’s an internationally acclaimed mural artist and blues enthusiast from Louisiana who has painted more than 400 murals in the United States and Europe.c) Thomas Hart Benton, a Missouri native who was at the forefront of the Regionalist art movement. His fluid, sculpted figures showed everyday people in scenes of life in the United States.d) Shepard Fairey, an American contemporary artist, activist and founder of OBEY Clothing who emerged from the skateboarding scene. * What is the primary purpose of the murals? Only one applies.a) To advertise local businessesb) To beautify the city with abstract artc) To depict and preserve the region’s layered historyd) To showcase modern Kentucky life* What river(s) does the Covington flood wall protect against? More than one may apply.a) Kentucky Riverb) Licking Riverc) Ohio Riverd) Sciota River* The mural that features the Roebling Suspension Bridge highlights a major architectural achievement linking Covington and Cincinnati. What role did this bridge play in regional commerce, and why was its construction significant for Covington’s identity? More than one answer may apply.* It facilitated the transport of goods between Covington and Cincinnati, strengthening the region’s role as a key industrial hub.* Until the invention of the Model T, it was primarily a pedestrian bridge that connected two cultural districts in the region, boosting tourism and art exchange.* Its engineering innovation—as the first major suspension bridge in the U.S. to use wire cables—made it an architectural marvel of its time while helping solidify Covington's identity by connecting it to the economic and cultural heart of Cincinnati.* It was the first bridge to connect Covington to the rest of the United States, fostering a boom in agricultural exports.* The mural known as Resident Artists, features Frank Duveneck and John Farney. Which of the following is true of these artists? Choose wisely.* The inclusion of John Farney and Frank Duveneck suggests that Covington’s cultural history was primarily shaped by international art movements rather than local artists.* The inclusion of Frank Duveneck and John Farney highlights Covington’s strong cultural and artistic legacy, which extended beyond its industrial growth in the late 19th century.* A mural depicting the Latonia Race Track shows a lively day at what was once one of the most prestigious Thoroughbred tracks in the country. Which of the following is true about the mural and what it represents, historically? Choose one.* In the mural, the jockey in red silks wears a badge with the initials “A.J.” This is widely understood to be a tribute to Alonzo “Lonnie” Clayton, one of the most successful Black jockeys in American horse racing history.* The mural shows the grand reopening of the racetrack in the 1950s, after World War II prompted a decades-long closure.* The jockeys in the mural are all modeled after famous Triple Crown winners, despite none ever racing at Latonia.* The mural known as Covington Churches features several of Covington’s historically and architecturally significant churches, depicting the city’s religious diversity. True or false: One of the houses of worship in that mural is a Jewish temple.* Also depicted in that mural is the Western Baptist Theological Institute, founded in Covington in the 1840s. The seminary owned a large amount of land in the region. What happened to this land after the seminary dissolved over disagreements about whether ministers could enslave people?a) The land was sold to local businesses for commercial development.b) It was repurposed as a public park and remains a popular site for community events.c) The land became part of Northern Kentucky University's original campus and other civic ...
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    26 min

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