I'm afraid I have been misunderstood.....I, of course, never meant to intimate the dams, locks, etc north of Wheeling did not alter the river, for of course they do change the ebb and flow. However, the original question was for photographs to show the river before these upstream changes, inferring that the river somehow looked 'different' before their construction. However, allowing for the differences in floods and very low water, the river is recognizable as it was, at least in the 1870 and 1880s. My great grandfather was an avid amateur photographer and I have many early photos of the river....in Wheeling, from Bellaire, Clarington, Hannibal, Middleport, and Pomeroy....and, if one stands close to the place where the photos were taken, the river looks pretty much the same. THAT's what I meant by saying the topography is unchanged and the river is still very much as it was, at least close to 140 years ago. Sandra