The Ohio River has nurtured Jeffersonville. The city's prime location, a bend in the river before the Falls of the Ohio, fostered its development into a regional hub of transportation and commerce. From time to time, however, the river lashes out at those who inhabit its shores. The frigid waters of winter and early spring sometimes swallow the city, leaving mud, disease, and devastation in their wake. The more than two hundred images featured in Jeffersonville, Indiana tell the city's tale from the earliest days of settlement, through the boom days of the late 19th century, and on to the tragedy of the Great Flood in 1937. Those who observed the bawdy days of Jeffersonville's marriage parlors, gambling halls, and saloons called the city Little Chicago. Those who marveled at the diversity of its religious establishments called it the City of Churches. Citizens of Jeffersonville enjoyed its nightlife on Saturday and filled its pews on Sunday, but have never failed to work hard throughout the week.
