Spring has Sprung Early

A brief warm spell and it was time for my first riverfront hike since Dec 31. I return to 43rd Street, which ends with one of the more dramatic ad hoc overlooks of the River.

This is a view over to Millvale and the Sternwheelers taken during the gray of December 31. The second picture was taken on Feb. 13. The Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute located on the downstream property. The Urban Redevelopment Authority assisted with site control and construction financing. That provided the opportunity to set aside the River Edge for a trail. This was the first foray for the Three Rivers Heritage Trail in the former industrial center of Lawrenceville.

The church visible in Millvale is the St. Nicholas Croatian Church which houses the beautiful and passionate murals of Max Vanko. This blog will have more to say about those on the return hike down the right descending bank. But don't wait for a visit.

After the Civil War the covered Ewalt Bridge made this connection. The Bridge lasted until the 1930s when it was replaced by the Washington's Crossing Bridge.

Prior to the Civil War Andrew Klomen and Henry Phipps owned a a mill in Millvale (hence the name). During the hectic days of the Civil War they sold and went into partnership with Andrew Carnegie and others to construct larger mills on the Lawrenceville side of the Allegheny River. This is the beginnings of the Carnegie industrial dynasty.