Overview

From frontiers to forts to factories

From a trading outpost to a military battlefield. . . from a tiny village to a city ablaze with industry. . . Pittsburgh and the region is constantly changing. Many clues to our past still exist, some as intentional tributes, and others, paying quiet testimony to the experiences that shaped us over the years.

Occasionally with great fanfare, and more often with subtle effort, Pittsburghers discovered new ways to adapt to the region's geography, make use of its natural resources, and establish the social and economic infrastructure necessary to thrive. Western Pennsylvania's history is not just a story of how our ancestors came to be where they were and do what they did; it is the story of how we came to be where we are and do what we do!

WQED'S Pittsburgh History Series will help us tell the story of six eras of western Pennsylvania history, which we title after Pittsburgh's past names or nicknames:

• Forks of the Ohio: Native American Crossroads Before 1755

• Fort Pitt: Military Outpost 1755-1795

• Gateway to the West: Commercial Trade Center 1795-1852

• Smoky City: Early Industrial Town 1852-1876

• Steel City: Manufacturing Metropolis 1876-1945

• Renaissance City: Corporate Center 1945-present