Editing Johnstown, Pennsylvania (section)

===19th century===
Johnstown was formally platted as Conemaugh Old Town in 1800 by the [[Switzerland|Swiss]] [[Germans|German]] immigrant Joseph Johns (born Josef Schantz). The settlement was initially known as "Schantzstadt", but was soon anglicized to Johnstown. An African-American settlement was established on Laurel Hill northwest of Johnstown by the 1820s, within what is today Laurel Ridge State Park. The Laurel Hill settlement remained an important part of the Johnstown African American community into the 20th Century.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-01 |title=Untold Stories Introduction |url=https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/c0549294d58942bdacce617c8026aaea |access-date=2025-05-13 |website=ArcGIS StoryMaps |language=en}}</ref> The Johnstown community incorporated as Conemaugh borough January 12, 1831,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.localgeohistory.pro/en/pa/event/conemaugh-1831-incorporation/// |title=Conemaugh 1831 Incorporation |date=December 17, 2019 |website=Local Geohistory Project |access-date=February 24, 2020}}</ref> but renamed Johnstown on April 14, 1834.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.localgeohistory.pro/en/pa/event/conemaugh-johnstown-1834-new-name//// |title=Conemaugh-Johnston 1834 Name Change |date=December 17, 2019 |website=Local Geohistory Project |access-date=February 24, 2020}}</ref> From 1834 to 1854, the city was a port and key transfer point along the [[Main Line of Public Works|Pennsylvania Main Line Canal]]. Johnstown was at the head of the canal's western branch, with canal boats having been transported over the mountains via the [[Allegheny Portage Railroad]] and refloated here, to continue the trip by water to Pittsburgh and the [[Ohio River|Ohio Valley]]. Perhaps the most famous passenger who traveled via the canal to visit Johnstown briefly was [[Charles Dickens]] in 1842. By 1854, canal transport became redundant with the completion of the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]], which now spanned the state. With the coming of the railroads, the city's growth improved. Johnstown became a stop on the main line of the Pennsylvania Railroad and was connected with the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad|Baltimore & Ohio]]. The railroads provided large-scale development of the region's mineral wealth.

[[Iron]], [[coal]], and [[steel]] quickly became central to the town of Johnstown. By 1860, the [[Cambria Iron Company]] of Johnstown was the leading steel producer in the United States, outproducing steel giants in Pittsburgh and [[Cleveland]]. Through the second half of the 19th century, Johnstown made much of the nation's [[barbed wire]]. Johnstown prospered from skyrocketing demand in the western United States for barbed wire. Twenty years after its founding, the Cambria Works was a huge enterprise sprawling over {{convert|60|acre|ha}} in Johnstown and employing 7,000. It owned {{convert|40000|acre|km2}} of valuable mineral lands in a region with a ready supply of iron, coal and [[limestone]].

Floods were almost a yearly event in the valley during the 1880s. On the afternoon of May 30, 1889, following a quiet [[Memorial Day]] ceremony and a parade, it began raining in the valley. The next day water filled the streets, and rumors began that a dam holding an artificial lake in the mountains to the northeast might give way. It did, and an estimated 20 million tons of water began spilling into the winding gorge that led to Johnstown some {{convert|14|mi}} away. The destruction in Johnstown occurred in only about 10 minutes. What had been a thriving steel town with homes, churches, saloons, a library, a railroad station, electric street lights, a [[roller rink]], and two [[opera house]]s was buried under mud and debris. Out of a population of approximately 30,000 at the time, at least 2,209 people are known to have perished in the disaster. An infamous site of a major fire during the flood was the old stone Pennsylvania Railroad bridge located where the [[Stonycreek River|Stonycreek]] and [[Little Conemaugh River|Little Conemaugh]] rivers join to form the [[Conemaugh River]]. The bridge still stands today.<ref name="McCullough269">[[David McCullough|McCullough, David]] (1987), ''[[The Johnstown Flood (book)|The Johnstown Flood]]'', Second Touchstone Edition. New York: Touchstone, an imprint of [[Simon & Schuster]], Inc., p. 269 {{ISBN|0-671-20714-8}}. (Original copyright: 1968, Simon & Schuster.)</ref>

The [[Johnstown flood of 1889]] established the [[American Red Cross]] as the pre-eminent emergency relief organization in the United States. Founder [[Clara Barton]], then 67, came to Johnstown with 50 doctors and nurses and set up tent hospitals as well as temporary "hotels" for the homeless, and stayed on for five months to coordinate relief efforts.<ref name="McCullough229-231">[[David McCullough|McCullough, David]] (1987), ''The Johnstown Flood'', Second Touchstone Edition. New York: Touchstone, an imprint of [[Simon & Schuster]], Inc., pp. 229–231 {{ISBN|0-671-20714-8}}. (Original copyright: 1968, Simon & Schuster.)</ref>

The mills were back in operation within a month. The Cambria Works grew, and Johnstown became more prosperous than ever. The disaster had not destroyed the community but strengthened it. Later generations would draw on lessons learned in 1889. After the successful merger of six surrounding boroughs,{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}} Johnstown became a city on April 7, 1890.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.localgeohistory.pro/en/pa/event/johnstown-city-incorporation// |title=Johnstown City Incorporation |date=December 17, 2019 |website=Local Geohistory Project |access-date=February 24, 2020}}</ref>