In the 1740s, competition for land in Western Virginia intensified as speculators and settlement promoters vied for territory. Christopher Gist explored the Ohio Valley for the Ohio Company, founded by Virginians such as Thomas Lee and Augustine Washington.

Granted 200,000 acres, the company aimed to settle the frontier and trade with Indians but faced resistance, rival land claims, and French competition. Despite early efforts to develop the region, internal conflicts and external pressures led to its failure by 1792.