The View from McKim's Ridge

[G3750]

Yesterday I took some photos from atop McKims Ridge. McKims Ridge is on the eastern side of the Ohio River in West Virginia. The opposite shore is Ohio. This location is just south of Weirton, north of Follansbee, and provides a really cool view of Steubenville, the Ohio River, and the railroad bridge.

We begin by looking south on the Ohio River. In the distance is the single track bridge for Wheeling Steel. I believe this is called the La Bell Bridge. In the foreground is half of the Market Street Bridge (now over 100 years old). Early in its history I believe it carried trolley traffic. At this point in time (and as far back as I can remember) it has a grate roadbed and strictly carries automobile traffic.

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Market Street runs west off the bridge into the center of Steubenville. Ohio State Route 7 runs under the Market Street bridge and north / south along the western bank of the river. The railroad track paralleling the river was known as the River Route (what a surprise, huh? ). This is the same track that appears under the bridge in the Grif Teller painting.

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This is the northern side of Steubenville. It's hard to see, but the Historic Brownstone area lies just south and west of the end of the railroad bridge.

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West Virginia State Route 2 is in the right foreground, with a single track heading south towards Wheeling. In the center of the photo is the ex-PRR bridge. The Veterans Memorial bridge (automobiles) is directly behind it.

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This shows a better view of western end of the railroad bridge.

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More of WV Route 2 as it reaches Weirton.

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George

[healey36]

Nice shots, George...did you have to hike up there or were you able to take the car?

At some point this spring I’m hoping to get up to Connellsville...can’t be too far from there over to Steubenville, then maybe over to Wheeling. So much rail-history wrapped up in that region.

Cities that are rocked back on their heels never look great in winter, do they? A good view of the region, but it’s painful...

Healey

[G3750]

Nice shots, George...did you have to hike up there or were you able to take the car?

At some point this spring I’m hoping to get up to Connellsville...can’t be too far from there over to Steubenville, then maybe over to Wheeling. So much rail-history wrapped up in that region.

Cities that are rocked back on their heels never look great in winter, do they? A good view of the region, but it’s painful...

Healey

I took a car up there. Plenty of very winding roads.

No, cities that are depressed look pretty bleak. Steubenville's downtown was decimated by the Route 22 bypass. A lot of the town has moved up the hill. And without most of its mills, Weirton looks really bad.

George

[rogruth]

George,
My hometown, Bellaire, Ohio, was for most people that live(d) there killed by the four-laning of Ohio route 7.
Back to your photos. I think you will understand this. I don't know how you got such beautiful photos from that area.
I didn't think it was still possible,
I could be wrong but I seem to remember riding street cars across the Market Street bridge in the early to mid 1940s.
The street cars in my hometown were taken off in 1946, I think, and about the same time in the Steubenville area.
It is possible they lasted a little longer in the Steubenville area
To me the Steubenville area always included Weirton and Mingo.
The Wheeling area also included Bellaie and Martins Ferry and quite a few smaller towns along with a very large group
of West Virginia small towns.

More phots please.