Pittsburgh's Lost Outpost: Captain Trent’s Fort

by Jason Cherry, David L. Preston (Foreword)

As 1753 came to a close, European empires were set on a collision course for a triangular piece of land known as the Forks of the Ohio.
The valuable patch of land, now known as Point State Park, is located at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers; the navigable waterways were valuable to the French to complete their control of the Ohio Valley as the British looked to create a center for their booming fur trade and westward expansion. Former soldier turned trader William Trent set out for the untamed wilderness to stake Britain's claim, and he would build the first fort to form the humble beginnings of Pittsburgh and to set the stage for the French and Indian War. Author Jason A. Cherry details the history of William Trent and Pittsburgh's forgotten first outpost.

176 pages, Paperback

Published March 18, 2019

Reviews

[Paul Lunger · Rating 5 out of 5]

In every corner of America there are places that are part of the hidden history of a region particularly when it comes to Colonial America. Jason Cherry's "Pittsburgh's Lost Outpost: Captain Trent's Fort" tells the story of one such lost piece of history a fort without an official name that would predate the ones history knows best at the Forks of the Ohio (modern day Pittsburgh). The focus of this book is on William Trent and the beginnings of what would become the French and Indian War with an outpost that is important simply because not much is known of it. Cherry does a good job explaining what we know about Trent, the people who served under him and why this fort came into existence. For the familiar with a lot of the events happening in this area at this particular part of the mid-18th century we the reader will gain additional insights into things that aren't well known. It's a good book for anyone with an interest in this region to understand and why this piece of forgotten history does need to be remembered.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly a lot of researched was done to write this book. Interesting, a bit dry, and some good info was left in the notes in the back of the book.