Pittsburgh . . . A Brief history:

Native Americans populated what is today the Pittsburgh region. The History of Pittsburgh began with the struggles between Native Americans, the French and the British over the strategic juncture when the Allegheny River meets the Monongahela River to for the Ohio River. The control of the forks of the Ohio River would determine the control of the entire Ohio Valley.

Starting in the early 1700’s European traders started to settle the area and in 1754 the French built Fort Duquesne at the forks of Ohio to enforce earlier territorial claims made by French explorer Robert LaSalle. He claimed that Pittsburgh’s forks were recognized as the key to the interior of the continent and the possible key to the “western passage”. This attempt to unite the French Quebec with the French Louisiana via the rivers led the British to become alarmed, thus resulting in the French and Indian War. After British General John Forbes seized Fort Duquesne from the French he ordered the construction of Fort Pitt and named the settlement between the rivers “Pittsborough”.

Following the American Revolution, the village around the fort continued to grow. One of its earliest industries was building boats for settlers to enter the Ohio Country. The year 1794 saw the short lived Whiskey Rebellion, when farmers rebelled against federal taxes on whiskey. The War of 1812 cut off the supply of British goods, stimulating American manufacture and by 1815, Pittsburgh was producing significant quantities of iron, brass, tin and glass products. By the 1840’s, Pittsburgh has grown to one of the largest cities west of the Allegheny Mountains, although this expansion was stalled by a widespread fire in 1845, that burned more than a thousand buildings. The city recovered from this fire and by 1857, Pittsburgh has nearly 1,000 factories. During the mid 1800’s, Pittsburgh witnessed a dramatic influx of German immigrants, including a brick mason whose son, Henry J. Heinz, founded the H.J. Heinz Company in 1872. Heinz was at the forefront of reform efforts to improve food purity, working conditions, hours, and wages.

The iron industry in Pittsburgh was thriving. In 1859, the Clinton and Soho iron furnaces introduced coke-fire smelting to the region. The American Civil War boosted the city’s economy with increased production of iron and armaments, especially at the Allegheny Arsenal and the Fort Pitt Foundry. A milestone in steel production was achieved in 1875, when Edgar Thomson Works in Braddock began to make steel rail using the new Bessemer process. Production of steel began in 1875, and by 1911, Pittsburgh was producing as much as half of the nation’s steel.

Industrialists such as Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, Andrew Mellon and Charles Schwab built their fortunes in Pittsburgh.

As a manufacturing center, Pittsburgh also became an arena for intense labor strife. During the great railroad strike of 1877, Pittsburgh erupted into widespread rioting. Dozens died and over 40 buildings were burned down, including the Union Depot of the Pennsylvania Railroad. Fifteen years later, in 1892, another tragic episode in labor relations resulted in 10 deaths when Carnegie Steel Company's manager Henry Clay Frick sent in Pinkerton Guards to break the Homestead Strike.

Andrew Carnegie, a former Pennsylvania Railroad executive turned steel magnate, founded the Carnegie Steel Company. He proceeded to play a key role in the development of the U.S. steel industry. In 1890, he established the first Carnegie Library, and in 1895, the Carnegie Institute. In 1901, as the U.S. Steel Corporation formed, he sold his mills to J.P. Morgan for $250 million, making him one of the world's richest men. He devoted the rest of his life to public service, establishing libraries, trusts, and foundations. In Pittsburgh, he founded the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) and the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh.

The third (and present) Allegheny County Courthouse and Jail was completed in 1886. In 1890, trolleys began operations, and in 1907, the city had a major flood. Additionally in 1907, Pittsburgh annexed Allegheny City, which is now known as the Northside.

By 1911, Pittsburgh had grown into an industrial and commercial powerhouse.

To escape the soot of the city, many of the wealthy lived in the Shadyside and East End neighborhoods, a few miles east of downtown. Fifth Avenue was dubbed "Millionaire's Row" because of the many mansions lining the street. Oakland became the city's predominant cultural and educational center, including four universities, multiple museums, a library, a music hall, and a botanical conservatory. Oakland's University of Pittsburgh erected the world's second-tallest educational building, the 42-story Cathedral of Learning. It towered over Forbes Field, where the Pittsburgh Pirates played from 1909–1970.

Between 1870 and 1920, the population of Pittsburgh grew almost sevenfold. Many of the new residents were immigrants who sought employment in the factories and mills and introduced new traditions, languages, and cultures to the city. Ethnic neighborhoods emerged on densely populated hillsides and valleys, such as Polish Hill, Bloomfield, and Squirrel Hill, home to 28% of the city's almost 21,000 Jewish households. The Strip District, the city's produce distribution center, still boasts many restaurants and clubs that showcase these multicultural traditions of Pittsburghers.

The years 1916–1930 marked the largest migration of African-Americans to Pittsburgh. Known as the cultural nucleus of Black Pittsburgh, Wylie Avenue in the Hill District was an important jazz mecca. Jazz greats such as Duke Ellington and Pittsburgh natives Billy Strayhorn and Earl Hines played there. Two of the Negro League's greatest rivals, the Pittsburgh Crawfords and the Homestead Grays, often competed in the Hill District. The teams dominated the Negro National League in the 1930s and 1940s.

During World War II, Pittsburgh's mills contributed 95 million tons of steel to the Allied war effort.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Pittsburgh%2C_Pennsylvania