route to freedom for many slaves escaping from the South, as they continued north after crossing the Ohio River. Towns such as Chillicothe became important stops on the Underground Railroad. A traditional fiddle tune in the Appalachian repertoire, “Big Scioty”, takes its name from the river. The melody is attributed to the Hammons family of West Virginia. In 2012, the river dropped to record- or near-record-low water levels as a result of the acute effects of the 2012 North American drought in Ohio. Dams and reservoirs There are two major dams on the river. Griggs Dam in Columbus was built in 1904–1908 to impound a water supply for the city. Farther upstream, at Shawnee Hills, the O'Shaughnessy Dam was built in 1922–1925 creating a larger reservoir which was billed at the time as "the finest inland waterway in the United States." Both dams are operated by the city of Columbus. The removal of the Main Street Dam in downtown Columbus, which was built in 1921, began in November 2013. The $35.5 million removal project was initially proposed in the 2010 Strategic Plan for downtown Columbus and was funded by a coalition of public and private entities. Prior to its demolition, the Main Street Dam impounded roughly of the Scioto River, artificially enlarging its width to an average of in downtown Columbus. Once completed, the Scioto Greenways project will reduce the width by nearly half, and expose of land which will be reclaimed as parkland by the city. Riffles and pools will be restored to the river channel, returning it to its natural riparian state. Experts believe the restoration project will result in a healthier river and better habitat for native plant, fish, and mussel species. Cities and towns along the Scioto River Cities and towns, listed from upstream to downstream: Roundhead McGuffey Kenton Hepburn LaRue Green Camp Prospect Shawnee Hills Dublin Upper Arlington Grandview Heights Columbus South Bloomfield Circleville Chillicothe Waverly Piketon Lucasville Rosemount West Portsmouth Notable crossings Main Street Bridge Rich Street Bridge Discovery Bridge Dublin Link Bridge Street Bridge (Chillicothe, Ohio) Variant names According to the Geographic Names Information System, the Scioto River has also been known as: Big Sciota River Big Scioto River Chianotho River Great Siota River Menkwi Siipunk Riviere Chianouske Sci-ou-to Sciodoe Creek Sciota River Seeyotah River Sinhioto River Siothai River Sioto River See also List of rivers of Ohio Little Scioto River References External