by Jason Bolte (Author)
The Wyandot tribe called the area TuEndieWei, which roughly translates to "where the rivers meet," because of its position at the confluence of the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers. George Washington referred to it as a "pleasant point" while he surveyed the land as a young man. He would later consider the town as the capital of the 14th American colony, Vandalia. While this colony never developed, it was nevertheless an important part of the American Revolution, as the first battle occurred at Point Pleasant on October 10, 1774, between Col. Andrew Lewis's Virginia militia and Chief Cornstalk's army of Shawnee warriors. The Virginians prevailed, allowing for colonial expansion west of the Ohio River. Over the next two centuries, Point Pleasant thrived as a major transportation center for river traffic. The rivers' history also includes great catastrophes, such as the nation's worst bridge disaster when the Silver Bridge fell in 1967, claiming 46 lives. Point Pleasant has always been a subtle crossroads of American history, with many triumphs and tragedies.