Muskingum
Muskingum is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. River courses organise settlement, agriculture and frontier-making more durably than any political boundary, and this reach is indexed against the dams, lakes and cities within its catchment.
- Feature Class
- River
- Coordinates
- 39.83°, -81.90°
About Muskingum
The Muskingum River ( mə-SKING-(g)əm; Shawnee: Wakatamothiipi) is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 111 miles (179 km) 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. Via the Ohio, it is part of the Mississippi River watershed. The river is navigable for much of its length through a series of locks and dams.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Muskingum River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Muskingum in Depth
Course
The Muskingum is formed at Coshocton in east-central Ohio by the confluence of the Walhonding and Tuscarawas rivers. It flows in a meandering course southward past Conesville and Dresden to Zanesville, and then southeastward past South Zanesville, Philo, Gaysport, Malta, McConnelsville, Beverly, Lowell, Stockport and Devola. It joins the Ohio at Marietta.
Along its course the Muskingum collects Wills Creek near Conesville; Wakatomika Creek at Dresden; the Licking River at Zanesville; Moxahala Creek at South Zanesville; and Wolf Creek near Beverly.
History
The name Muskingum derives from the Shawnee word mshkikwam 'swampy ground'. In Lenape Muskingum was taken to mean 'elk's eye' (mus wəshkinkw) by folk etymology, from mus 'elk' + wəshkinkw 'its eye'. Moravian missionary David Zeisberger wrote that the Muskingum River was called Elk's Eye "because of the numbers of elk that formerly fed on its banks, these animals being found there even at the present time [1779-1780]..." Historically, it was also the name of a large Wyandot town along the river.
As part of an expedition to assert French dominance throughout the entire Ohio valley, on August 15, 1749, a leaden plate claiming the region for France was buried at the confluence of the Muskingum and Ohio rivers by Pierre Joseph Céloron.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Muskingum River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Muskingum: Key Facts
| Length | 179 km |
|---|---|
| Drainage basin | 20,852 km² |
| Source | Tuscarawas River |
| Mouth | Ohio River |
| Drainage system | Muskingum River drainage basin |
| Tributaries | Licking River, Wolf Creek, Wills Creek, Moxahala Creek, Wakatomika Creek, Meigs Creek |
Facts from Wikidata Q1595409 (CC0).
Major River Dossiers
Hand-written studies of the great river systems of history.
Connected Reaches
Nearby watercourses in the same drainage network.
Water Bodies in the Catchment
Settlements Along the Reach
Hydraulic Infrastructure Nearby
Surrounding Terrain
Muskingum: Quick Answers
- Where is Muskingum?
- Muskingum is located in United States, at 39.8276° N, 81.8970° W.
- Are there dams on the Muskingum?
- No dam on the Muskingum is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.