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<><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> The Indian Trail Beginning in colonial times and continuing through the 1930s, one way to get from the flats along the Monongahela riverbank up the steep hillside to Duquesne Heights was a narrow pathway known as the Indian Trail. Originally, this was an actual pathway that was used by local tribes. During the Indian Uprising of 1763, one can imagine Pontiac's warriors using this trail to arrive at their battle lines on the shores of the Monongahela River in order to stage their flaming arrow barrages upon the besieged soldiers and settlers sheltering in Fort Pitt. The perilous route weaved it's way along the slope of Mount Washington. In 1909, the city built a wooden stairway, from Carson Street to Grandview Avenue, that became known as the Pittsburgh's Indian Trail Steps.
<><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> The City Steps
The wooden stairs, consisting of nearly 1000 steps and stretching for almost a mile, followed the existing native trail up the steep, sometimes cliff-like face of Mount Washington. Believe it or not, this cumbersome, extended walkway was a well-trodden route for Pittsburgh workers commuting from the factories along the river to their homes in the hilltop neighborhoods above. Some walked the trail every day to save the five cent fair for a ride on the incline. Prior to the installation of the steps, some adventurous travelers even managed to get their horse and wagon up and down the path, somehow navigating the steeper section, known as the switchback.
Starting near the base of the Duquesne Incline, pedestrians on Carson Street began their ascent heading westward on a long walkway with a slight rise that passed under the incline rails. Eventually the trail began the major ascent up the hillside. Continuing in a westerly direction, steps began to ascend towards the switchback. Here the route rose at a steep angle. After that, a series of short walkways stretched on with an intermittent series of steps, continuing to rise gradually until reaching a point near the intersection of Grandview Avenue and Shaler Street.
<><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> Follow the Indian Train Today The Indian Trail Steps were dismantled in 1935, but to this day large portions of the centuries old pathway are still in existence, as well as some remnants of the original stairway. Adventurous travelers and GEOCache enthusiasts still navigate the old trail, which in some places has been wiped away by landslides.
The city of Pittsburgh and the surrounding neighborhoods, with a landscape dominated by hills and valleys, once had hundreds of pedestrian steps scaling the heights. Even today, there are still many sets of serviceable city steps scattered about the city. An interesting book for those looking to learn more about these once-vital pedestrian stairways is entitled "The Steps of Pittsburgh: Portrait of a City." <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> <><><><> More Images Of Pittsburgh's Indian Trail Steps
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