Zane's Trace
Encyclopedia
Zane's Trace is a frontier road constructed under the direction of Col. Ebenezer Zane
through the Northwest Territory
of the United States
, in what is now the state of Ohio
. Many portions were based on traditional Native American trails. Constructed during 1796 and 1797, the road ran from Wheeling, Virginia (now Wheeling, West Virginia
) to Maysville, Kentucky
, through the portion of the Northwest Territory that eventually became the southeastern quarter of the state of Ohio. It was more than 230 miles (370.1 km) long and was interrupted by several rivers.
in the American Revolutionary War
, Col. Zane traveled to Washington, D.C.
, in early 1796. He petitioned Congress for money to finance the construction of a road to encourage settlement in the Northwest Territory and speed up travel times to Kentucky. Zane would profit by construction of the road, both because he owned most of the land at its starting point of Wheeling, and also because he intended to buy tracts of land along the route (see below). Nonetheless, it was in the national interest for such a road to be built. Congress approved a contract financing the project in May 1796.
Col. Zane was assisted in overseeing the construction by his brother Jonathan Zane and his son-in-law John McIntire, as well as by a Native American guide Tomepomehala. Col. Zane took advantage of existing Native American trails for some of the route. These included the Mingo Trail in the area between present day Fairview, Ohio
, and Zanesville, Ohio
, and the Moxahala Trail in the area between present day Zanesville, Ohio, and Chillicothe, Ohio
. Chillicothe was the only settlement already existant along the route before the Trace was constructed. The Trace was constructed through heavily forested, hilly terrain and was not easily traveled by wagon.
After Ohio became a state in 1803, the legislature levied a state transportation tax used in 1804 to improve the entirety of the Trace. Laborers cleared out stumps and widened the thoroughfare. Between 1825 and 1830, the segment of Zane's Trace between Wheeling and Zanesville was rebuilt as part of the new National Road
.
, were run by Ezra Graham, George and Henry Beymer, and John Beatty. William McCulloch and Henry Crooks ran a ferry across the Muskingum River
from Zanesville to Putnam, Ohio (now also a part of Zanesville). A bridge was built over the Muskingum River in 1813. A bridge was built over the Hocking River
near Lancaster, Ohio
, as early as 1809. Benjamin Urmston ran the ferry across the Scioto River at Chillicothe
. Ferries ran across the Ohio River
to Maysville, Kentucky. The town of Aberdeen, Ohio
, was founded in 1816 on the Ohio side of the river. A bridge was not built connecting Aberdeen and Maysville until 1931.
, surveyor general of the United States, surveyed the tracts, all of which were purchased by Col. Zane.
Col. Zane deeded the tract at the Muskingum River to his brother Jonathan Zane and to his son-in-law, John McIntire, on December 10, 1800. McIntire had already laid out a town named Westbourne in 1799, the name of which was changed by the postmaster to Zanesville in 1801.
Col. Zane divided his tract along the Hocking River into lots, and appointed his sons Noah Zane and John Zane as agents to sell the lots. A town was laid out here in 1800, and was named New Lancaster at the request of resident Emmanuel Carpenter, Sr., in honor of his prior home of Lancaster, Pennsylvania
. The town was renamed Lancaster in 1805 to avoid confusion with the town of New Lancaster, also in Pennsylvania.
Col. Zane's tract on the Scioto River
was not as useful for development. The town of Chillicothe had already been settled on the west bank of the Scioto River, and land west of the Scioto River was reserved for Virginian veterans of the Revolutionary War. Col. Zane sold his tract of land on the eastern bank of the Scioto River to Humphrey Fullerton in 1804.
Ebenezer Zane
Ebenezer Zane was an American pioneer, road builder and land speculator. Born in what is now Moorefield, West Virginia , Zane established the settlement known as Fort Henry in Wheeling, Virginia on the Ohio River...
through the Northwest Territory
Northwest Territory
The Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Northwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 13, 1787, until March 1, 1803, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Ohio...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, in what is now the state of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. Many portions were based on traditional Native American trails. Constructed during 1796 and 1797, the road ran from Wheeling, Virginia (now Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
) to Maysville, Kentucky
Maysville, Kentucky
Maysville is a city in and the county seat of Mason County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 8,993 at the 2000 census, making it the fiftieth largest city in Kentucky by population. Maysville is on the Ohio River, northeast of Lexington. It is the principal city of the Maysville...
, through the portion of the Northwest Territory that eventually became the southeastern quarter of the state of Ohio. It was more than 230 miles (370.1 km) long and was interrupted by several rivers.
Construction and later improvements
After serving in the Continental ArmyContinental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
in the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, Col. Zane traveled to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, in early 1796. He petitioned Congress for money to finance the construction of a road to encourage settlement in the Northwest Territory and speed up travel times to Kentucky. Zane would profit by construction of the road, both because he owned most of the land at its starting point of Wheeling, and also because he intended to buy tracts of land along the route (see below). Nonetheless, it was in the national interest for such a road to be built. Congress approved a contract financing the project in May 1796.
Col. Zane was assisted in overseeing the construction by his brother Jonathan Zane and his son-in-law John McIntire, as well as by a Native American guide Tomepomehala. Col. Zane took advantage of existing Native American trails for some of the route. These included the Mingo Trail in the area between present day Fairview, Ohio
Fairview, Ohio
Fairview is a village in Belmont and Guernsey counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, and Zanesville, Ohio
Zanesville, Ohio
Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. The population was 25,586 at the 2000 census.Zanesville was named after Ebenezer Zane, who had constructed Zane's Trace, a pioneer road through present-day Ohio...
, and the Moxahala Trail in the area between present day Zanesville, Ohio, and Chillicothe, Ohio
Chillicothe, Ohio
Chillicothe is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States.Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio and is located in southern Ohio along the Scioto River. The name comes from the Shawnee name Chalahgawtha, meaning "principal town", as it was a major settlement of...
. Chillicothe was the only settlement already existant along the route before the Trace was constructed. The Trace was constructed through heavily forested, hilly terrain and was not easily traveled by wagon.
After Ohio became a state in 1803, the legislature levied a state transportation tax used in 1804 to improve the entirety of the Trace. Laborers cleared out stumps and widened the thoroughfare. Between 1825 and 1830, the segment of Zane's Trace between Wheeling and Zanesville was rebuilt as part of the new National Road
National Road
The National Road or Cumberland Road was the first major improved highway in the United States to be built by the federal government. Construction began heading west in 1811 at Cumberland, Maryland, on the Potomac River. It crossed the Allegheny Mountains and southwestern Pennsylvania, reaching...
.
Crossing the rivers and streams
The rivers and streams along the Trace were first crossed by ford or ferry. Col. Zane ran a ferry across the Ohio River at Wheeling, where a bridge was not constructed until 1837. Ferries across Wills Creek in present day Cambridge, OhioCambridge, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,520 people, 4,924 households, and 2,954 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,055.1 people per square mile . There were 5,585 housing units of an average density of 996.3 per square mile...
, were run by Ezra Graham, George and Henry Beymer, and John Beatty. William McCulloch and Henry Crooks ran a ferry across the Muskingum River
Muskingum River
The Muskingum River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 111 miles long, in southeastern Ohio in the United States. An important commercial route in the 19th century, it flows generally southward through the eastern hill country of Ohio...
from Zanesville to Putnam, Ohio (now also a part of Zanesville). A bridge was built over the Muskingum River in 1813. A bridge was built over the Hocking River
Hocking River
The Hocking River is a tributary of the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio in the United States.The Hocking flows mostly on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau, but its headwaters are in a glaciated region...
near Lancaster, Ohio
Lancaster, Ohio
Lancaster is a city in Fairfield County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 38,780. It is located near the Hocking River, approximately southeast of Columbus, Ohio. It is the county seat of Fairfield County...
, as early as 1809. Benjamin Urmston ran the ferry across the Scioto River at Chillicothe
Chillicothe, Ohio
Chillicothe is a city in and the county seat of Ross County, Ohio, United States.Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio and is located in southern Ohio along the Scioto River. The name comes from the Shawnee name Chalahgawtha, meaning "principal town", as it was a major settlement of...
. Ferries ran across the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
to Maysville, Kentucky. The town of Aberdeen, Ohio
Aberdeen, Ohio
Aberdeen is a village in Brown County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,603 at the 2000 census.Aberdeen is connected to Maysville, Kentucky by the Simon Kenton Memorial Bridge to downtown Maysville and the William H. Harsha Bridge, a cable-stayed bridge completed in...
, was founded in 1816 on the Ohio side of the river. A bridge was not built connecting Aberdeen and Maysville until 1931.
Colonel Zane's tracts
As part of his petition to Congress (see above), Col. Zane requested that he be given the right to buy select tracts of land at three sites where the Trace crossed a major river. The rivers were, from east to west, the Muskingum River, the Hocking River, and the Scioto River. Congress granted this request. General Rufus PutnamRufus Putnam
Rufus Putnam was a colonial military officer during the French and Indian War, and a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War...
, surveyor general of the United States, surveyed the tracts, all of which were purchased by Col. Zane.
Col. Zane deeded the tract at the Muskingum River to his brother Jonathan Zane and to his son-in-law, John McIntire, on December 10, 1800. McIntire had already laid out a town named Westbourne in 1799, the name of which was changed by the postmaster to Zanesville in 1801.
Col. Zane divided his tract along the Hocking River into lots, and appointed his sons Noah Zane and John Zane as agents to sell the lots. A town was laid out here in 1800, and was named New Lancaster at the request of resident Emmanuel Carpenter, Sr., in honor of his prior home of Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
. The town was renamed Lancaster in 1805 to avoid confusion with the town of New Lancaster, also in Pennsylvania.
Col. Zane's tract on the Scioto River
Scioto River
The Scioto River is a river in central and southern Ohio more than 231 miles in length. It rises in Auglaize County in west central Ohio, flows through Columbus, Ohio, where it collects its largest tributary, the Olentangy River, and meets the Ohio River at Portsmouth...
was not as useful for development. The town of Chillicothe had already been settled on the west bank of the Scioto River, and land west of the Scioto River was reserved for Virginian veterans of the Revolutionary War. Col. Zane sold his tract of land on the eastern bank of the Scioto River to Humphrey Fullerton in 1804.