When did Pittsburgh first become Pittsburgh?

Answer 1

Gen. John Forbes gave Pittsburgh its name in November 1758.

Here is some of the text of the Gen. Forbes letter, as excerpted in The Gentleman's Magazine. A copy of the periodical, bound into book form, is in the collection of the Heinz History Center. "I have the pleasure of acquainting you with the signal success of his majesty's arms over all his enemies on the Ohio, by having obliged them to burn, and abandon their Fort duQuesne, which they effectuated up on the 24th instant (Nov. 24, 1758), and of which I took possession with my light troops the same evening, and with my little army the next day. The enemy made their escape down the river, part in boats and part by land, to their forts and settlements upon the Missisippi, [spelled without the fourth S] having been abandoned, or, at least, not seconded by their friends the Indians, whom we had previously engaged to act a neutral part, after thoroughly convincing them, in several skirmishes, that all their attempts upon our advanced posts, in order to cut off our communications, were vain, and to no purpose; so now they seem all willing, and well disposed to embrace his majesty's most gracious protection. "Give me leave, therefore, to congratulate you upon this important event, of having expelled the French from Fort duQuesne and this prodigious tract of fine rich country, and of having, in a manner, reconciled the various tribes and nations of the Indians, inhabiting it, to his majesty's government." Before he left the Forks of the Ohio, Gen. Forbes took one other important action, describing it in a Nov. 27 letter to William Pitt, whom he saw as architect of the British victory. "I have used the freedom of giving your name to Fort Duquesne," he wrote, "as I hope it was in some measure the being actuated by your spirits that now makes us Masters of the place." After a difficult winter journey, Gen. Forbes made it back to Philadelphia, where he died on March 11, 1759. He was buried in that city's Christ Church. Thom MacIntyre, thommacintyre@gmail.com

Sources: Heinz History Center, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh

Answer 2

Before white settlers from Europe arrived in North America, many Native American tribes inhabited the area and used the three rivers for trading and travel. Later, the French will control the Pittsburgh region (the Pittsburgh region is also known as the Ohio Valley). In the 1754, the French built a fort where, the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet, to form the Ohio River (this was a perfect site to build a fort), and called it Fort Duquesne (today, the site of Fort Duquesne is part of Point State Park). In 1758, the English took over the area (during this time the French and Indian War was being fought), tore down Fort Duquesne and built Fort Pitt.

When the French and Indian War was over in America, the English keep the site and people started to live around the fort and the area became known for trading (the Ohio River was the center of trade and Pittsburgh became known as "the gateway to the West" because, the Ohio River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River, and the Mississippi River leads to the Atlantic Ocean, people where able to ship goods to different seaports).

During America's Industrial Revolution, the city of Pittsburgh became a major steel town and many different people moved to the city looking for jobs. Pittsburgh has a diverse population, thanks in part to the steel industry, which fueled Pittsburgh's economy until the 1970s (this was when steel industry in the US went belly up).