The Ohio, below Pittsburg.

Title

The Ohio, below Pittsburg.

Description

View shows the Ohio River below Pittsburg with two paddle steamers and a railway.

ca. 1880

Artist

Anonymus

Historical Description

The first European structures were built in connection with British and French hegemonic efforts in the mid-18th century during the French and Indian War (Seven Years' War) (1756-1763). After the French had been able to repel a first attack by British soldiers under George Washington as late as 1754 and a second large-scale offensive at the Battle of Monongahela in 1755, they cleared and destroyed the fort in 1758 when a British superior force approached. The British camp was named Pittsburgh after then British Prime Minister William Pitt, and the fort was rebuilt as Fort Pitt. The settlement grew into a city by 1816. Increased industrialization began in the second half of the 19th century, and by the end of the century the city had become the focal point of steel production in the United States.