Point State Park

Let's start this post off differently. Consider the following question: What do you visualize when you think of Pennsylvania state parks?

Maybe you hear the roar of the waterfalls at Ricketts Glen State Park.

Or you picture something unusual like the Balanced Rock in Trough Creek State Park.

Perhaps you feel the sensation of sand between your toes as you stand on a beach at Presque Isle State Park.

Now, what about this?

Is it behind one of those really tall buildings?

It looks deceiving, but that last picture does in fact show a state park -- possibly the only one in Pennsylvania where you're minutes away from hotels, Starbucks and two sports stadiums.

This is Point State Park, a 36-acre piece of land at the tip of downtown Pittsburgh that acts as the meeting point of three rivers: the Allegheny and the Monongahela, which both form the Ohio. The park as it is today features walkways, a fountain, a museum, a cafe and a field, but much of this is fairly recent. The area has come a long way since Point State Park was completed and dedicated in 1974.

The first parcel of land for the future park was purchased in 1946, according to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Before that, a plan was drafted for a park on the tip of Pittsburgh's "Golden Triangle" in 1945. The city was likely looking for a way to revitalize the area because it was considered, in DCNR's words, a "commercial slum" in the 1940s, compared to the busy industrial zone it once was.

And long before the first skyscrapers graced Pittsburgh's skyline, "the Point" served as a strategic area around the time of the French and Indian War. Because of tensions between several entities, a series of forts cropped up during the span of a few decades. The first would be Fort Prince George.

The Ohio Company, with help from militiamen from colonial Virginia, started building Fort Prince George (known as "Trent's Fort" at the time) in early 1754 under the supervision of company agent William Trent, according to ExplorePAhistory.com. Trent's Fort lasted about as long as the Pirates' spring training, however, after a large French army arrived at the area in April and forced the Virginians to surrender. The French began work on its defenses with the construction of Fort Duquense and proceeded to burn down Trent's Fort in July.

Fort Duquesne became a place of interest for British forces. The latter made attempts at taking the fort, including two expeditions led by George Washington (summer 1754) and Gen. Edward Braddock (1755), according to ExplorePAhistory.com. Both efforts ended in failure, and one of them would result in Braddock losing his life after succumbing to injuries suffered in battle.

Fort Duquesne remained under French control for about another three years until a large-scale operation led by British Gen. John Forbes scared the French off in November 1758 -- but not before going out with a "bang." The French blew up the fort with enough force that the explosion could be heard by British forces from nearly 10 miles away, according to ExplorePAhistory.com. Other sources say the fort was burnt down instead, but Michael Bay has convinced us explosions are always the way to go, so we'll go with his logic instead.

Although no original parts of it remain, Fort Duquesne lives on in the form of a granite outline in Point State Park's field today.

Visitors to Point State Park can see the "outline" of Fort Duquesne in the park's field.

Forbes failed to take Fort Duquesne, but he got the better prize -- British control over "the Forks" (the common name for "the Point" back then). The Brits then took it upon themselves to follow in the footsteps of the Forks' previous inhabitants and create their own defensive structure -- Fort Pitt.

Forbes named the fort after British Prime Minister William Pitt and decided to call the area surrounding it "Pittsburgh," according to ExplorePAhistory.com. He might have just intended this as a nice gesture to the crown across the pond, but Forbes helped lay down the groundwork for the sports-loving, Primantis-eating, yinz-sayin' city that all of western Pennsylvania loves today.

Nothing is more British than the NFL.

The construction of Fort Pitt occurred between 1759 and 1761, according to the Fort Pitt Blockhouse website. Before work began, the British erected a temporary structure named Fort Mercer to protect the Forks during the building of Fort Pitt, according to the Heinz History Center.

Like the former Fort Duquesne, Fort Pitt had its share of enemies. During the summer of 1763, a force of Native Americans attacked the structure during Pontiac's War, according to the Fort Pitt Blockhouse website. The battle went on for about two months and became known as the Siege of Fort Pitt, which ended in August 1763.

In addition to Native Americans, Mother Nature didn't favor the fort, either. According to the Fort Pitt Blockhouse website, by 1772, flooding had caused extensive damage to the structure, which made its keepers decide to decommission it and start selling off parts in what was likely Pittsburgh's first yard sale.

Also, remember those Virginians that got chased away by the French during the construction of Fort Prince George in 1754? Apparently they were excellent at holding a grudge. The Virginians took over Fort Pitt in 1774 during Dunmore's War, according to the Fort Pitt Blockhouse website, which was Virginia's attempt to regain the land in the Ohio Valley it lost nearly two decades earlier. The Virginians renamed Fort Pitt "Fort Dunmore" during this time, according to the Heinz History Center.

Dunmore's War was shortlived, however, since the colonies had a bigger issue on the horizon known as the Revolutionary War. The Continental Army took over control of the fort, which became known as Fort Pitt again, and made it the western headquarters for the militia, according to the Fort Pitt Blockhouse website.

Fort Pitt continued operations until 1792, when the completion of nearby Fort Fayette made the former obsolete, according to the Fort Pitt Blockhouse website. Instead of going up in flames or being exploeded to tinder, Fort Pitt was sold off, and locals used pieces of its corpse to build nearby houses, according to the Heinz History Center. One piece of Fort Pitt -- its blockhouse -- remains today and is considered the oldest authenticated structure in western Pennsylvania, according to the Heinz History Center. A replica of one of the five bastions of the structure serves as the Fort Pitt museum, as well.

The Fort Pitt Blockhouse is the only remaining portion of Fort Pitt still in existence. It is also recognized as the oldest structure in western Pennsylvania.

The Fort Pitt Museum as seen in Point State Park.

I know I spent a lot of time discussing forts, but one of the main reasons Point State Park came to be is because of the land's history during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. The numerous fights for possession of the Point between the British, French, Native Americans and Virginians shows how important the area was to each party. And without Forbes, western Pennsylvanians would likely have French-Canadian accents, eat french fries on their sandwiches and be obsessed with hockey -- well, I guess at least two of those things happened anyway.

Long live Lord Lemieux!

Getting back to the present, the Point continues to bustle with activity -- minus the numerous battles and forts. Many people visit Point State Park to walk, jog or relax by the waterfront or on the nearby field. The park always seems to be busiest around dusk, when the sun sets below the rivers and the fountain comes to life.

Visitors sit around the fountain at the tip of Point State Park.

Point State Park's fountain lights up at night and changes colors, making for a beautiful show.

During the day, bikers, walkers, joggers and runners converge at the Point because it links some of the largest trails in Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania. One of these footpaths is the Three Rivers Heritage Trail -- a nearly 25-mile system of trails that runs parallel to many of the riverfronts on the Allegheny, Ohio and Monongahela rivers.

While Cassidy and I haven't actively sought the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, we usually end up on it somehow. It runs through Point State Park, Station Square, North Shore, South Shore and the Strip District, so as long as you're by a river in Pittsburgh, you've probably been on it without even knowing. If you're interested in venturing the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, you can see an interactive map here.

The other large footpath in Pittsburgh is the Great Allegheny Passage, a 150-mile rail-trail that starts at Point State Park and heads southeast all the way to Cumberland, Maryland, where it then connects with the nearly 185-mile Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Towpath Trail that extends to Washington, D.C. The Great Allegheny Passage is considered one of the best rail-trails in the country by numerous cyclists. If you want to learn more about the GAP and the C&O trails, you can read my previous entry about them here.

Point State Park is a wonderful place to be while on land, but there are also many great things to do on the water surrounding it. People who enjoy kayaking, paddleboarding and canoeing can take advantage of the Three Rivers Water Trail, which includes about two dozen access points on the three rivers by the Point and one on the Youghiogheny River. The access points are free of charge (except for sites maintained by the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission) and include amenities like storage racks, restrooms and picnic areas, according to the Three Rivers Water Trail website. You can download PDF versions of the map here. If you need to reach an access point while on the water, just look for a signs shaped like red paddles. Those are the markers for the water trail.

Cassidy and I once went kayaking on the Allegheny River by PNC Park and had a blast. The Allegheny is wide, so boaters and kayakers can share the water easily. The rivers also provide scenic views of the city, and you have a decent chance of seeing wildlife like waterfowl. We rented a tandem kayak from a paddlecraft rental shop by PNC Park under the Roberto Clemente Bridge. If you want to experience Pittsburgh on the water, you should try there first.

Cassidy and I paddle in a tandem kayak on the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh.

These Canada geese weren't afraid to get close to our kayak.

Pittsburgh's rivers also feature several different types of fish for anglers, including sauger, walleye, catfish, panfish and bass, according to DCNR.

Point State Park also features events and festivals throughout the year, if you keep an eye on Pittsburgh's many events websites. It's also worth mentioning that Point State Park is within walking, driving or biking distance of Pittsburgh's several district and attractions, including the Strip District, Market Square, North Shore, South Shore, Station Square, PNC Field, Heinz Field, the Carnegie Science Center and so on.

My point: No matter who you are, you WILL find something to do at or near Point State Park. If not, then I cannot help you, my friend.