East Columbus to Wheeling - 70

The route begins in the eastern section of the Columbus metropolitan area and then enters the western edges of the Appalachian mountain range. It’s hard to notice at first because the change is gradual—the flat lands of the Midwestern plains slowly give way to a gentle hilly geography. But by the time we reach Zanesville, the land becomes more rugged. As we encounter the hillier regions past Zanesville, we’ll enter coal mining territory.

When we approach Newark, we’ll cross an ancient road, the “Great Hopewell Highway”. It was built about 2,000 years ago, ran for 60 miles, and was the equivalent of 12 lanes wide. Why did this ancient people build such a road? And why did it need to be so wide? And how did they do it anyway?

We’ll travel through Licking Country where LaMarcus Adna Thompson grew up. LaMarcus Adna was a moralist who was appalled at the leisure activities that drew young people. He resolve to create an amusement that would build character, which he called the “switchback railway.” Maybe you know it by the more familiar term: the “roller coaster” which, we feel, has contributed to all kinds of character development.

You might not guess it, but east central Ohio is also cowboy country. A Zanesville dentist, Zane Grey, wrote cowboy stories and virtually invented the American Western. A little farther down the road, we encounter Cambridge, childhood home of William Boyd, who portrayed the cowboy, Hopalong Cassidy. Maybe you thought that Westerns started in the West. Note: try central Ohio.

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The route begins in the eastern section of the Columbus metropolitan area and then enters the western edges of the Appalachian mountain range. It’s hard to notice at first because the change is gradual—the flat lands of the Midwestern plains slowly give way to a gentle hilly geography. But by the time we reach Zanesville, the land becomes more rugged. As we encounter the hillier regions past Zanesville, we’ll enter coal mining territory.

When we approach Newark, we’ll cross an ancient road, the “Great Hopewell Highway”. It was built about 2,000 years ago, ran for 60 miles, and was the equivalent of 12 lanes wide. Why did this ancient people build such a road? And why did it need to be so wide? And how did they do it anyway?

We’ll travel through Licking Country where LaMarcus Adna Thompson grew up. LaMarcus Adna was a moralist who was appalled at the leisure activities that drew young people. He resolve to create an amusement that would build character, which he called the “switchback railway.” Maybe you know it by the more familiar term: the “roller coaster” which, we feel, has contributed to all kinds of character development.

You might not guess it, but east central Ohio is also cowboy country. A Zanesville dentist, Zane Grey, wrote cowboy stories and virtually invented the American Western. A little farther down the road, we encounter Cambridge, childhood home of William Boyd, who portrayed the cowboy, Hopalong Cassidy. Maybe you thought that Westerns started in the West. Note: try central Ohio.

Click to see more from this Presenter