The Licking River is a tributary of the Muskingum River, about 40 mi (65 km) long, in central Ohio in the United States. Via the Muskingum and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River.

Course

The Licking River is formed at Newark in Licking County by the confluence of its north and south forks including many other small fishable streams. From Newark, the Licking River flows generally eastwardly through the Black Hand Gorge State Nature Preserve into Muskingum County, where it turns southeastwardly. It joins the Muskingum River at Zanesville; the confluence of the two rivers is spanned by a Y-shaped bridge. Upstream of Zanesville, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam causes the river to form Dillon Lake, along which Dillon State Park is located.

Flow rate

Johnny Appleseed

Jonathan Chapman (1775-1843), aka Johnny Appleseed, planted his first apple orchard near Licking Creek. He took a load of apple seed from Pennsylvania cider presses into the Territory of Ohio in 1801, according to a Harper magazine article written in November 1871, "Johnny Appleseed - A Pioneer Hero" by W.D. Haley (pp. 830–836).

Variant names

According to the Geographic Names Information System, the Licking River has also been known as: