European settlers began settling the Forks of the Yadkin area in the mid 1700s, following the Great Wagon Road south from Pennsylvania. Plentiful hunting, abundant forests, and fertile land for farming supported a growing population. From THE WAY WE LIVED IN NORTH CAROLINA edited by Joe A. Mobley. Copyright 2003 by the University of North Carolina Press. Map by Mark Moore North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. www.uncpress.unc.edu