Editing West View, Pennsylvania (section)

== History ==
West View was first incorporated on March 20, 1905. In the early 1900s, the Allegheny-Bellevue Land Company began acquiring land in [[Ross Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Ross Township]] in order to build houses. Land developer Frederick Christian Martsolf was particularly enamored by the area, so working with the Allegheny-Bellevue Land Company, he was able to incorporate 640 acres of land right in the middle of Ross Township into West View Borough. West View held its first election on May 16, 1905, with Martsolf being elected the first president of the Borough Council on May 24, 1905.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=West View Centennial History Committee |url=https://www.wvboro.com/sites/g/files/vyhlif6966/f/uploads/centennial_anniversary_downscale_.pdf |title=West View Borough Centennial Anniversary 1905 - 2005 |date=July 2005 |publisher=Professional Graphic Communications, Inc. |year=2005 |location=Sewickley, PA 15143-8621}}</ref>

It is said that the name "West View" came from pioneers who, traveling north out of Pittsburgh on the Venango Trail, appreciated the view to the west. The Venango Trail was a trail that Native Americans had used for centuries by the time European settlers arrived. The trail began in Pittsburgh and went north, eventually ending in [[Erie, Pennsylvania|Erie, PA]]. Present-day [[U.S. Route 19]], which goes right through the heart of West View, closely follows the path of the original Venango Trail.<ref name=":0" />

Casper Reel was the first European settler in the West View/Ross area.<ref name=":0" /> Reel was born in [[Frankfurt|Frankfurt, Germany]] on May 11, 1742. He immigrated to America around 1761. After serving in the [[Continental Army]] during the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]], Reel received 727 acres of land in what was then [[Pine Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania|Pine Township]]. He constructed a cabin in West View in 1792, but was forced to leave shortly thereafter due to [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] attacks. He did not return until 1795, when he built a second cabin which still exists in the borough today. Reel became a successful farmer and also the first tax collector north of Pittsburgh. He died on October 20, 1824. The bulk of West View today is made up of land that was once owned by Reel.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Casper Reel (1742-1824) {{!}} West View, PA |url=https://www.wvboro.com/history/pages/casper-reel-1742-1824 |access-date=2024-06-24 |website=www.wvboro.com}}</ref>