In 1753, 21-year-old George Washington visited present-day Pittsburgh for the first time and was struck by the same natural feature that often catches visitors’ attention today — the rivers. Washington noted in his journal how rapidly the Allegheny — which he spelled Aligany — flowed and how still the Monongahela seemed. “I spent some time in viewing the rivers, and the land in the fork, which I think is extremely well situated for a fort, as it has the absolute command of both rivers,” he wrote.