French Island Marina and Boat Club is located at mile 765 of the Ohio River on the right descending bank.  The two French Islands and the smaller Ellis Island located nearby provide a beautiful background for boating and all types of water sports.  Sunsets here are as glorious as can be seen anywhere.  On any weekend during the boating season boats of all types, some pulling people on skis, tubes, and other floating devices can be seen on the river.  Jet skis skim across the water carrying people of all ages.

The Ohio River played an important role in the westward expansion of the United States.  Its 981 mile course, from Pittsburgh, PA to Cairo, IL is generally westward.  The native traders rode the current in their bullboats and canoes.  French trappers and explorers, who heard of the river from the Iroquois, followed.  The Iroquois called the stream Oyo, which the French translated as meaning beautiful.  La Belle Riviere, the beautiful river, is what these Frenchmen later named the river.  The French were interested primarily in trade but other Europeans who came later wanted to settle the land. They came down the river by the thousands in flatboats, keelboats, and later vessels powered by steam.  The Ohio River is still an important commercial waterway.

Relatively young in geologic terms, the Ohio River has been estimated to be anywhere from ten to fifteen thousands years old by some estimates and from forty to fifty thousand by others.  The lower third and parts of the upper river existed before the last glacier period.  The rest of the river is the result of the retreat of these glaciers.  Heavy rains and melting ice cut their way through the valley, sometimes in the pre-glacial riverbed and sometimes cutting new courses.

Humans have been living near the river for millennia.  Having migrated from Asia across the land bridge that is now the Bering Strait, the first people to inhabit North America followed the ice flows.  As the ice retreated, humans were not far behind.  Around 5000 BC a group of people lived in the Ohio Valley whose descendants created the Indian Knoll Culture.  A group known collectively as the Mound Builders lived along the river from about 1000 BC to approximately 1500 AD.  Early people used the river for a source for food and transportation for trade.

Today, along with the commercial use of the river, many people enjoy the recreational aspects of the river.  The French Island Marina and Boat Club was formed in 1954 with just that in mind.  Forty-six years later the club still caters to the boating public as well as to those who enjoy just being near the river.  The club operates a marina selling marine fuels and other boating necessities.  A shelter house at the marina is home to dances, dinners, games, and other activities open to the public throughout the boating season.

The French Island Marina and Boat Club is dedicated to the preservation of the natural beauty of the river.  It is a sponsor of the annual Ohio River Sweep that cleans the banks of the river each year.  The club provides receptacles for trash and recyclable  materials.  The club property is maintained to reflect this commitment. It is the hope of the French Island Marina and Boat Club that people will be able to enjoy La Belle Riviere for generations to come.
      HOME                                                        Joe Batson, President