General
History
When
the first Europeans (namely the French trapper LaSalle in 1669)
came to the Monongahela and Allegheny River Valley the land was
partially occupied by nomadic Native Americans whose settlements
were near where the three rivers met. They were chiefly Allegawis,
Adena, Hopewell, Delaware, Seneca, Shawnee, and several settled
groups of Iroquois called "Mingoes." They primarily
hunted, fished and traded in this region that primarily remained
a pass-through on people's journeys.
The
Monongahela River from the south and the Allegheny River from
the north join to form the Ohio that goes to the West. The
place where the rivers meet--their confluence--has a rich history
pre-dating the Native American nomadic way of life. Most notable
for its role in the French and Indian War when it served the French
as Fort Duquesne from 1754-1758. The French, realizing
their hold could not last against the 6,000 troops of General
John Forbes, abandoned their site two days before the British
arrived and constructed Fort Pitt. The Fort Pitt Museum
and other original structures are still in place in the area as
well as many interpretive and informational signs. It's truly
an urban treasure where you can experience the three rivers, the
natural setting, strolling paths, outdoor concerts and festivals
and powerful history. For these reasons, this "Point" where
the three rivers meet was designated a state park-- Point
State Park -- by Pennsylvania's Department of Conservation
and Natural Resources around 1964 and is a registered National
Historic Landmark.
More
than 250 years after a young George Washington nearly drown in
the icy waters of the Allegheny River and General Forbes finally
assigned the named "Pittsbourgh" to the area, Pittsburgh is now
known as the " City of Bridges
" because of our unique waterlogged geography and necessity
to conquer it. The metropolitan region boasts over 2000
bridges that span 8 feet or greater. Pittsburgh is second
in number of bridges only to Venice, Italy.
Many
of the nations most prominent corporations and business have made
their homes along the banks of the three rivers for reasons of
efficiency, convenience or aesthetics; Alcoa, Heinz, Del Monte
and Seagate along the Allegheny River; Parkhurst Inc. (Eat &
Park); US Steel, Siemens Westinghouse, RedZone Robotics, US Switch
& Signal, REI, and the FBI are all helping to restore what
once were the brownfields along the Monongahela River; the corridors
along the Ohio are still primarily used by the rail industry but
our hope is that with further persistence and cooperation, trail
groups and local businesses will gain permission from the railroads
to develop economically sustainable and environmentally regenerated
areas along the Ohio.
Along
the banks of the Allegheny near the Strip District in Pittsburgh
sits the new David L. Lawrence Convention Center. With 330,000
square feet of conference space, this building is the first convention
center to be certified 'green' in the US, using features such
as natural ventilation, natural daylighting, water conservation
and energy efficient building technology. This is just one example
of how Pittsburgh's way of thinking about its rivers, riverfronts
and environment has changed since the "Smoky City" days of our
Steel Heritage. That was then
; this is now.
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