Incredible images of Washington, DC before it was a city

Before Washington, DC became the capital city of the United States, it was a sprawling, 100-square-mile plot of plantations, forests, and hills.

The city's urban plan was the brainchild of French immigrant and architect Pierre Charles L’Enfant, who envisioned an egalitarian design for the District — a vision that was a physical manifestation of the American dream. In the 18th century, L’Enfant filled DC with plenty of public space, including parks, plazas, and wide sidewalks.

Over time, DC transformed from a modest Native American settlement into the dense metropolis it is today.

Let's take a look at this journey:

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In the early 17th century, several native tribes of the Piscataway people lived on the land that is DC today.

Conflicts with European colonists forced the Piscataway to form a new home in Maryland in 1699.

In 1790, Congress established Washington, District of Columbia, a 100-square-mile district along the Potomac River.

A year later, three commissioners managing the capital’s construction named it in honor of President George Washington. The district was named Columbia, a fond name for the US at the time.

Washington enlisted Pierre Charles L’Enfant, a French immigrant and engineer for the US military, to plan the city in 1791.

Source: Smithsonian