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WVXU: Why is part of Green Township called Dent?

UC geologist explains origins of Ohio village

headshot of Michael Miller By Michael Miller 513-556-6757
2 minute read April 23, 2024

WVXU turned to a University of Cincinnati geologist to explain how an Ohio village on Cincinnati's West Side got its unusual name.

WVXU tried to answer listener Mike Wuerth's question about how the section of Green Township known as Dent got its colorful name as part of the station's OKI Wanna Know series.

The Green Township Historical Association said the village once was called Challensville after a local property owner, the Rev. James Challens. But state politician Charles Reemelin suggested the village be called Dent after its valley topography. 

UC Associate Professor of Geosciences Dylan Ward said Dent got its "dent" from Ohio's glacial past.

The area drained into what we called today Taylor Creek, he said.

"The reason this catchment is deeper and a little bit bigger than its neighbors is because of where that creek joins the Great Miami (River), right around Miamitown," Ward says. "That part of the Great Miami was relocated by the last ice sheet."

Ward said Dent is one example of how glaciers and rivers shaped Ohio's landscapes today.

"This area of Dent is just one little microcosm of the kinds of interactions between glaciers, rivers and the terrain around them," he told WVXU.

Listen to WVXU's story.

Featured image at top: UC Associate Professor Dylan Ward, left, talks to geosciences students on a rocky beach during a field trip in California. Also pictured is UC Associate Professor Daniel Sturmer. Photo/Michael Miller

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