Chapter III

Washington's first visit to Pittsburgh occurred in November, 1753, while he was on his way to the French fort at Leboeuff. He was carrying a letter from the Ohio Company to Contrecoeur, protesting against the plans of the French commander in undertaking to establish a line of forts to reach from Lake Erie to the mouth of the Ohio River. The winter season was becoming very severe, in despite of which Washington and Gist were forced to swim with their horses across the Allegheny River. On the way they fell in with a friendly Indian, Keyashuta, a Seneca chief, who showed them much kindness, and for whom a suburban town, Guyasuta, is named.

Washington, in writing of his first sight of the forks of the river, says:

As I got down before the canoe, I spent some time in viewing the
rivers and the land at the fork, which I think extremely well
situated for a fort, as it has the absolute command of both rivers.
The land at the point is twenty-five feet above the common surface
of the water, and a considerable bottom of flat, well-timbered land
all around it very convenient for building. The rivers are each a
quarter of a mile across and run here very nearly at right angles,
the Allegheny being northeast and the Monongahela southeast. The
former of these two is a very rapid and swift-running water, the
other deep and still without any perceptible fall. About two miles
from this on the southeast side of the river at a place where the
Ohio Company intended to erect a fort, lives Shingiss, King of the
Delawares. We called upon him to invite him to a council at
Logstown. As I had taken a good deal of notice yesterday at the
fork, my curiosity led me to examine this more particularly and I
think it greatly inferior either for defense or advantages,
especially the latter. For a fort at the fork would be equally well
situated on the Ohio and have the entire command of the
Monongahela, which runs up our settlement and is extremely well
designed for water carriage, as it is of a deep, still nature.
Besides, a fort at the fork might be built at much less expense
than at the other place.

Leaving Pittsburgh, Washington and Gist proceeded in a northeasterly direction, and after a day's journey they came upon an Indian settlement, and were constrained by the tribe to remain there for three days. A group of these Indians accompanied the two travelers to the French fort, and on the journey a large number of bear and deer were killed. At Leboeuff Washington received from the French commander a very satisfactory reply. On the trip back the two pioneers encountered almost insupportable hardships. Lacking proper food, their horses died, so that they were forced to push forward in canoes, often finding it necessary, when the creeks were frozen, to carry their craft for long stretches overland. When Venango was reached, Washington, whose clothes were now in tatters, procured an Indian costume, and he and Gist continued their way on foot, accompanied by an Indian guide. At this point an illustrious career was put in deadly peril, for on the second day of his escort, the treacherous guide deliberately fired his gun at Washington when standing only a few feet away from him. Bad marksmanship saved the intended victim, and Gist started to kill the Indian on the spot; but Washington, patient then as always, sent the savage away, giving him provisions to last until he could reach his tribe. But an apprehension of further trouble from the friends of the discomfited guide impelled the two men to travel all that night and the next day, although Washington was suffering acute agony from his frosted feet. While recrossing the Allegheny River on a rude raft, Washington fell into the icy waters and was saved by Gist from drowning only after the greatest efforts had been employed to rescue him. Reaching Herr's Island (within the present city limits), they built a fire and camped there for the night, but in the morning Gist's hands were frozen. The bitter cold had now solidified the river and the two wanderers passed over it on foot. By noon they had reached the home of John Frazier, at Turtle Creek, where they were given clothes and fresh supplies. The journey was completed in three more days, and on receiving the reply of Contrecoeur, the English began their preparations for sending troops to Pittsburgh.