George Washington, who became the first president of the United States of America when he was 57 years old, explores this region for the British when he is a 21-year-old Major in the Virginia militia, loyal to the British. In November, Washington examines the land at the Point and recommends to the British that they build a fort there.
This drawing shows Washington and his guide Christopher Gist crossing the Allegheny River just above the Point on December 30. When the raft jammed in the ice, Washington tried to free it: in doing so he fell into the icy water and nearly drowned.
George Washington on a raft
This website was created with funding support from the Alfred M. Oppenheimer Memorial Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation.
