In 1812 the Ohio State Legislature, after searching for a central location for the state capital, chose the present site of Columbus on the Scioto River opposite Franklinton, a thriving trade center since 1797. The legislators voted to name the community in honor of Christopher Columbus, and government offices were moved there in 1816 from Chillicothe, Ohio's first state capital. With its population peacefully coexisting with the region's Wyandot and Shawnee peoples, Columbus grew rapidly; in 1824 it absorbed Franklinton and became the seat of Franklin County.
The site of Columbus was not only centrally positioned, but it also offered an easy crossing point of the Scioto River. The high east bank also provided a site safe from all but the highest floods. (The limits of that safety were reached in 1913 when record-breaking rains brought a devastating flood, considered the city's worst disaster.) Stimulated by advantageous access to transportation, Columbus grew steadily throughout the 19th century. The Ohio and Erie Canal passed close to the city and a short feeder canal opened in 1831, connecting Columbus to both Lake Erie and the Ohio River. In 1833 the National Road, a primary route used by settlers traveling west, reached the city. Railroads began to arrive in 1850, bearing the famous railway names of Baltimore and Ohio, Norfolk and Western, New York Central, Chesapeake and Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The city, incorporated in 1834, reached a population of almost 20,000 by 1860.
Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
http://encarta.msn.com © 1997-2001 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Columbus Information info
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