A 12.5 billion electron volt (BeV) particle accelerator, the Zero Gradient Synchrotron, was constructed and put into operation at the Argonne National Laboratory in August 1963. The ZGS will form the center for high energy physics research in the Midwestern part of this country. In this paper, a brief description of the ZGS is given together with a discussion of the aims, methods, and equipment of experimental high energy physics research.