Ust-Katav

Ust-Katav lies where the Katav River joins the Yuryuzan on the western slope of the southern Urals. The settlement was founded in 1758 around an enterprise established by the Tverdyshov brothers and Ivan Myasnikov. Initially a sawmill and river landing, it later became an ironworks supporting neighbouring plants. A fortified workers' settlement grew around it, including serfs purchased by the owners from central Russia. During Pugachev's uprising the works stopped in 1773; a rebel force burned the plant and settlement in 1774, and production was restored the following year. The rivers, forests and labour of the district were integral to this early industrial settlement.