ZANESVILLE

city, Muskingum county, east central Ohio, U.S., at the juncture of the Muskingum and Licking rivers (there spanned by the Y Bridge ), 52 miles (84 km) east of Columbus. The town was founded (1797) by Ebenezer Zane on land awarded him by the U.S. Congress for clearing a road (Zane's Trace) through the forest to Limestone (now Maysville), Ky. Zane sold the land to his son-in-law, John McIntire, who laid out the village of Westbourne (1799; renamed Zanesville, 1801) and who was instrumental in making it the county seat (1804) and state capital (181012). Economic progress started with construction of the first Y Bridge (1814), the Ohio and Erie Canal (1829), and a series of locks and dams on the Muskingum (1841), opening transportation to Eastern markets. Abundant clay deposits spurred development of the pottery industry after 1890. Inundating floods (1913) led Congress to authorize a network of 14 reservoirs (completed 1938) in the Muskingum Valley. The city of Zanesville is located amid abundant natural resources that include deposits of coal, gas, petroleum, clay, and limestone. The city's diversified industries include the manufacture of tile, glass, electrical equipment, sheet metal, alloy steel, batteries, farm machinery, and cement products. A branch (1939) of Ohio University and the Muskingum Area Technical College (1969) are in the city. Zanesville was the birthplace of the architect Cass Gilbert and of the novelist Zane Grey, a descendant of Ebenezer Zane. A museum east of the city commemorates the National (Cumberland) Road, which reached Zanesville in 1826, and displays Zane Grey memorabilia. The Ohio Ceramic Center is 11 miles (18 km) south of the city, near Roseville. Recreational facilities in the area include nearby Dillon Dam and Reservoir and Blue Rock State Park and Forest. Inc. village, 1814; city, 1850. Pop. (1990) 26,778; (1994 est.) 27,282.