A Bountiful Land

"Afternoon, Hawks Bill River, Blue Ridge Mountains" by John Key Ross

Courtesy of Virginia Historical Society

“Nothing but a preference to the choice lands, would tempt men to become adventurers.”

Jost Hite, ca. 1732

A combination of fertile soil, abundant water sources and a perfect climate made farming especially profitable to early settlers of the Valley.

Pioneers Find a New Homeland

After 1690, the Virginia colonial government encouraged settlement to help secure land from French interests and subdue American Indian raids and threats from the North. The promise of religious freedom and land ownership attracted pioneers seeking a new life on one of America’s “first frontiers.” Jost Hite led the way in settling the lower Shenandoah Valley, creating the first permanent homestead west of Blue Ridge, along Opequon Creek (south of modern day Winchester.) Soon after Hite’s son, Isaac, built Long Meadow on the banks of the North Fork of the Shenandoah, and his son-in-law, George Bowman, constructed a large stone house known as Fort Bowman near present-day Strasburg.

Farmers Focus on Wheat

The Valley’s natural resources allowed early farmers to flourish and prosper. They worked hard to clear their land, grow a range of crops and build grist mills. Any extra food, beyond what pioneers needed to feed themselves, was sent to outside markets for trade with Great Britain through Philadelphia and Baltimore. By the time of the Revolutionary War, tens of thousands of barrels of flour left the Valley for Europe. The Great Wagon Road, initially an Indian trail, became the route for moving goods to market.