In 1742, John Peter Salling (sometimes Salley) joined a Virginia expedition to explore the Mississippi River and support British claims. Traveling by a buffalo-hide boat, the group followed the New, Coal, Kanawha, and Ohio rivers before reaching the Mississippi. Captured and imprisoned in New Orleans, Salling escaped in 1744 and returned in 1745.

His journey offered key insights into present-day West Virginia, including the discovery of coal on the Coal River. His journal helped shape the 1752 Fry-Jefferson map, which included early spellings like "Green Briar River" and "Cole River."