SCIOTO RIVER

river rising in Auglaize county, west-central Ohio, U.S., and flowing southeast and past Columbus, Circleville, and Chillicothe, joining the Ohio River at Portsmouth after a course of 237 miles (381 km). O'Shaughnessy (built 1925) and Griggs (1905) dams, both near Columbus, impound narrow reservoirs for water supply. Tributaries include the Olentangy River and Big Walnut Creek. Hoover Dam (1955), on the latter, has created another reservoir near Columbus. The rich limestone soils of the river valley are exceptionally fertile. Scioto probably comes from the Iroquoian word for deer.