Editing Rices Landing, Pennsylvania (section)

== History==
Rices Landing is a small rural town located along the western bank of the Monongahela River, approximately {{convert|50|mi}} south of [[Pittsburgh]]. One of the first visitors to the area was [[George Washington]]. Tale has it that in 1755, while he was traveling to [[Fort Duquesne]], he and his men camped in this area, just across from [[Pumpkin Run (Monongahela River tributary)|Pumpkin Run]] on the other side of the river after he crossed.

In 1786, John Rice purchased land on the east side of Enoch's Run, and at about the same time, Abijah McClain purchased land on the west side. John Rice named the community he built "Rices Landing", while Abijah McClain called his settlement "Newport". In 1801, Benjamin Franklin mapped out the area and combined the two communities under the name "Rices Landing". Enoch's Run was renamed "Swan Run" before it eventually took the name it holds today, Pumpkin Run.

Rices Landing officially incorporated in April 1903. The availability of valuable resources such as trees, clay, sand, coal and transportation allowed the community to thrive. Shops, trading posts, taverns, and other businesses once lined its busy streets. It was so prosperous that it was regarded as the "Gateway to [[Western Pennsylvania]]" by frontier settlers.

Although things have quieted today, the residents still see their community as a charming and respectable community that was once the talk of the frontier world.<ref>From the Rices Landing Centennial Celebration guide, 2003</ref>

Rices Landing is the former home of US Olympic wrestler and four-time state champion [[Cary Kolat]]. Kolat attended Jefferson-Morgan High School. He is known as being one of the best wrestlers in history, going 137–0 in high school and 111–7 in college. Kolat won many international medals and competed in the [[2000 Summer Olympics|2000 Sydney Olympics]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2017}}

[[File: RicesLandingPA.JPG|thumb|left|250px|View from the Green River Trail]]
Established in 1903, Rices Landing is a town rich in tradition. The center of industry in Rices Landing during the First and Second World Wars was the W. A. Young and Sons Foundry and Machine Shop, which is still in existence. The [[foundry]] was used to make many different items for the war effort and will undergo construction in the coming year. The town was in the heart of the steel industry, with many coal mines located in and around the town. Many of these mines and industry are no longer around. Rices Landing is home to Pumpkin Run Park, which is owned and maintained by the borough. The park opens on Memorial Day and closes on Labor Day. Located in the downtown area is the Greene River Bike and Walking Trail, which is a continuing project that reaches from [[Fredericktown, Pennsylvania|Fredericktown]] to [[Crucible, Pennsylvania|Crucible]].

The [[Rice's Landing Historic District]] was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1992.