Page:A Topographical Description of the State of Ohio, Indiana Territory, and Louisiana.djvu/34

28 Marietta. Congress, in 1796, made a grant of this tract of land to Ebenezer Zane, as a compensation for opening a road from Wheeling to Limestone, and establishing and maintaining ferries over the rivers on this route. Col. Zane laid out this town in 1800. Its progress was slow, and there were few houses with either brick or stone chimneys, until 1805. Since that time its improvements have been nearly equal to its local advantages. It is situated on a bend of the river opposite to the great falls, and being on elevated ground, has a variegated and commanding prospect. It contains a considerable number of large and convenient houses; and the buildings are annually increasing. The court-house is nearly completed, built with beautiful free stone and in an elegant style. The seat of the State government is now removed to this town, where it is expected it will be permanent. The post-office in this town is a distributing office, from which mails are sent off in different directions. On the west side of the river is Springfield, containing about fifty houses, and some of them handsome buildings. There are four or five stores of different kinds of goods. Here Licking Creek discharges its waters from the westward into the Muskingum, after meandering through an extensive country of the first rate lands. About four miles from the mouth of this creek is a beautiful cataract formed by a rock extending across the stream at right angles, and producing a fall of seven and an half feet, while the water above and