On October 23, 1864, a wagon train of refugees had come from Fort Smith, Arkansas, and was escorted by troops from the 6th Kansas Cavalry under the command of Col. William Campbell.

They ran into the 1st Indian Brigade led by Maj. Andrew Jackson Piercy near the current Pittsburg Waste Water Treatment Plant.

They continued to the north when a small group of wagons broke away in an unsuccessful rush to safety.

A granite marker memorial for the "Cow Creek Skirmish" was placed near the Crawford County Historical Museum on October 30, 2011.

George Hobson and Franklin Playter are credited with being the city's founders, establishing a government after its beginnings as a coal mining camp in the 1870s.

It has always had a strong manual and industrial arts program and has trained many of the area's public and private school teachers.

In 1879, two miners from Joplin began the first commercial attempts at mining in close proximity of Broadway Street.

[15] Kenneth A. Spencer, whose father was among the founders of the company was to play an important role in Kansas and Missouri philanthropy.

[citation needed] Pittsburg was also the most heavily unionized city in Kansas at the beginning of the 20th century.

[16] In addition to some coal mining, the economic base of the city now rests on industry.

The city has a rich cultural heritage from many Southern and Eastern European mine workers who settled in and around Pittsburg and Southeastern Kansas.

[17] Pittsburg sits in the Ozark Highlands region, a mix of prairie and forests.

Arctic outbreaks bring temperatures to or below 0 °F or −17.8 °C on average once per winter, while maxima over 70 °F or 21.1 °C can be expected four times between December and February.

Winter weather is less dry than in most of Kansas since moist Gulf air often penetrates without reaching most of the state: December 2015 saw 7.91 inches (200.9 mm) of rain, and the very cold January 1979 saw sixteen days with at least 0.01 inches or 0.25 millimetres of measurable precipitation.

Spring weather is changeable and often suspect to severe storms: Pittsburg lies in the heart of “Tornado Alley”.

The changeable weather from hot to cold can be accompanied by frequent heavy precipitation: Pittsburg can expect 20.24 inches or 514.1 millimetres of precipitation between March and June, approximately what Dodge City or Liberal further west receive in a whole year.

The 2020 United States census counted 20,646 people, 8,268 households, and 4,123 families in Pittsburg.

[citation needed] As of the census of 2010, there were 20,233 people, 8,142 households, and 4,087 families residing in the city.

[36][37] In addition, Pittsburg State University publishes a weekly student newspaper, the Collegio.

[39][40] The market's CBS and Fox network affiliates both broadcast from the city along with an independent station.

[41][42][43] Notable individuals who were born in and/or have lived in Pittsburg include actor Roy Glenn,[44] chemical entrepreneur Kenneth A. Spencer,[45] and broadcast journalism pioneer Paul White.