Webster Station in Dayton in Montgomery County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

A City Upon Rivers

Photographed by Pete Skillman, June 26, 2025

1. A City Upon Rivers Marker

Inscription. Dayton's location at the confluence of the Great Miami, Mad, and Stillwater Rivers has driven the course of its history. Rich alluvial soil made the land near the river banks attractive to early settlers, who built their homes here in 1796. The rivers provided a means of transporting goods on flatboats in the early 19th century.

Races extending from the rivers powered mills, laying the foundation for an industrial city. As Dayton became an important trading post, turnpikes were built. With these early roads came the first wooden covered bridges, connecting the city to other communities in Ohio and extending the settlement to land north of the Great Miami River.

1795

Jonathan Dayton, Arthur St. Clair, James Wilkinson, and Israel Ludlow purchase land at confluence of rivers from John Cleves Symmes. First settlers arrive a year later.

1802

First plat of Dayton laid by Daniel C. Cooper

1814

Cooper obtains Dayton's first charter for a bridge across the Mad River

1817

First Wooden Covered Bridge constructed across Mad River near Taylor Street

1819

Dayton View Covered Bridge constructed across
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the Great Miami River

1825

Stagecoach Line between Dayton, Columbus, and Cincinnati

1828

Miami Canal between Cincinnati and Dayton

1833-1837

Canal extended north to Piqua, Mad River aqueduct constructed

1835

Main Street Covered Bridge constructed

1836-1840

New turnpikes connecting Dayton to Cincinnati, Lebanon, Springfield, Covington, and other towns

1840

Third Street Covered Bridge Over Great Miami River constructed

1847

Flood puts Dayton under water for several days

1851

Railroad arrives in Dayton with first railroad bridge near Sixth Street over the Miami River

(Caption):

View of Dayton looking south across the Great Miami River, shows the city's first Dayton View covered bridge. Constructed in 1819, the bridge was replaced in 1852 (Courtesy, Dayton Metro Library).

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Bridges & Viaducts • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels.

Location. 39° 46.078′ N, 84° 11.012′ W. Marker is in Dayton, Ohio, in Montgomery County. It is in

A City Upon Rivers Marker - wide view image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Pete Skillman, June 26, 2025

2. A City Upon Rivers Marker - wide view

Webster Station. It is on Water Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 441 Water St, Dayton OH 45402, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Miami Valley.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Bridges Under the Water (here, next to this marker); Parks by the River (here, next to this marker); After the Flood (here, next to this marker); Dayton and its Bridges 1938 (here, next to this marker); Bridges for a New Era (a few steps from this marker); Josef Melan and The Melan System of Bridge Construction in America (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Webster Street Bridge Over Mad River (about 400 feet away); Dayton's New Bridges 2017

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(about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Dayton.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 30, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 30, 2025, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware. This page has been viewed 116 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 30, 2025, by Pete Skillman of Townsend, Delaware.