George Washington knew exactly what he was doing when he led a three-member committee authorized by Congress to select the site for the national capital at the beginning of 179 1. There is no doubt that the new federal district and city will be close to the shipping center of the Potomac River, adjacent to the prosperous port city of Georgetown and far from the edge of chesapeake bay. As a landlord and resident nearby, Washington knows this area like the back of his hand. Washington's location looks like his home in Mount Vernon, which is a rolling river bank composed of old tobacco fields.
Like many early American cities such as Philadelphia and Cincinnati, Washington was built on a solid and dry river bank. This land inclines upward from the Potomac River, between Rock Creek and Ana Costia River, and later becomes the eastern tributary of the Potomac River.
The land extending from the main river to the north is obvious to Pierre Renfant, a French immigrant who planned streets and squares for the new city. He chose a high point for the presidential residence and a high point for the Capitol. After all, it is Capitol Hill, originally called Jenkins Hill, not the swamp of Capitol Hill.
Between the Capitol Hill and the White House is the Tiber River, which is a very respected waterway. Its route is to go south, roughly along Northland Avenue, bypass the future Union Station Square, and turn west to the place where Constitution Avenue runs now. 18 15, the western part of this river became the Washington city canal. By the 1940s of 19, the canal was already quite unpleasant, but that was because there were insufficient sewers, not because it was originally a swamp.
/kloc-a large number of panoramic views of Washington on the other side of the naval shipyard (Library of Congress /G.Cooke and W.J.Bent) appeared in the 0/9th century. As a way to instill national pride in Washington, it is one of the best sources to understand early Washington. Open the photos of the Library of Congress, and you will see a dry scene, buildings that can't survive because of the sinking foundation. For example, Smithsonian Castle 19 and Harper Magazine 1852 have been standing since the late 1940s.
Maps (Library of Congress, CC's early maps also show the same situation. 1826 Anne Royal, probably the first female professional journalist in the United States, is also the author of Sketch of American History, Life and Etiquette, describing "the highland of the city; On the undulating water, she continued to count the city without mentioning a swamp. Perhaps she was too enthusiastic. She concluded: "It is impossible to imagine a scene full of all kinds of beauty. "
Tourists, especially those from Britain, like to wear needles in this new city, but the behavior and pretensions of its residents are lightning rods for criticism, not scenery. At 1830, Francis Trollope, a British tourist, is usually ready to criticize any American. He wrote: "I am happy with the whole face of Washington, sunny, cheerful and relaxed;" This reminds me of our fashionable water town.
The real chaos in the development of Washington waterfront took place in the middle of19th century. After the end of the civil war, decades of agricultural production in the hinterland of the Potomac River led to erosion and a large amount of sediment flowing down. When the Potomac River slows down below the last rapids (the river enters the District of Columbia), silt is deposited on a large mudflat on the city side of the river. 65438+80s and 65438+90s,
The engineering team began to transform these mudflats into reflection pools, tidal basins and hundreds of acres of park land, where the Presidential Memorial Hall and cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and created a riverside park where no one would think of the word "swamp" today.
None of this means that the capital has realized George Washington's vision: a comprehensive metropolis that can rival or even surpass Philadelphia in business and culture. Erie's promotion of new york undoubtedly curbed Washington's ambition, but it was Baltimore's strong growth that made Washington a commercial center in the middle of the Atlantic. James bryce, a British commentator, wrote in the American Federation that the United States is the only great country without a real capital, but this is a dig at new york and Washington.
Maybe it's time to cancel this metaphor and stop trying to get involved in Washington.
Politicians who have spent some time in Washington should know more. After all, the city is full of communities named Friendship Heights, Mount plesent, Columbia Heights, Creste Wood, Washington Heights and Kalorama.
Having spent the summer in Washington, I am not writing this letter to protect the climate. But the steam bath won't turn into a swamp. I don't think the facts of Washington's historical geography will completely weaken the slogan of the bipartisan alliance, but as far as it is concerned-this is a simple phrase that has no anchor in Washington's history.
This article was originally published in KDSP's dialogue with Carl Albert, Honorary Professor of Urban Studies and Planning at Portland State University.