"For more than four years the British had tried to wrest control of the coveted Ohio Country from the French. Their occupation of this land beyond the mountains meant that the American colonies could not expand and grow. Each attempt to expel these French invaders had ended in disaster for the British, most notably with General Edward Braddock's defeat at the Battle of the Monongahela in the summer of 1755. Since then, the French had been masters over the Ohio Country and had sent their Indian allies to raid among the frontier settlements beyond Philadelphia. General [John] Forbes was determined to put an end to French dominance in the region by seizing the enemy stronghold known as Fort Duquesne, located at the Forks of the Ohio."

That passage is one of the historical snippets on the Web site www.forbestrail.org, launched last week to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Forbes Trail, the French and Indian War and, of course, Pittsburgh.

In 1758, Gen. Forbes led an expedition from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, carving out a trail beyond Carlisle through the forests and over the mountains to capture Fort Duquesne from the French and establish the area as Pittsburgh.

"I think as a Pittsburgher it's exciting to realize what happened here and the role that our region played in the path of American history," said Karen Lightell, marketing director for French and Indian War 250, the organization spearheading the commemoration of the French and Indian War.

Forbes Trail stretches from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, mostly along Route 30, and the Web site features seven gateways along that route: Philadelphia, Lancaster, Carlisle, Fort Loudoun, Bedford, Ligonier and Pittsburgh. Click on a gateway to learn of its connection to the trail as well as what historical entities still exist there.

By clicking on Carlisle, for example, you'll find out that until the Forbes Expedition the road west ended there. You'll also learn that this Cumberland County town is where Molly Pitcher is buried and that it is the site of the Carlisle Indian School attended by Olympic great Jim Thorpe.

The site also features information on 24 state parks, an interactive trip planner, a calendar of Forbes Trail anniversary events and links to special travel packages.

On May 15, French and Indian 250 will release a guidebook, "Pennsylvania's Forbes Trail: Gateways and Getaways along the Legendary Route From Philadelphia to Pittsburgh." It will provide more historical details and travel itineraries for folks wanting to follow in (as closely as they can in modern times) Gen. Forbes' footsteps.