Bell County, named for Joshua Fry Bell (1811-1870), was formed just after the Civil War in February of 1867 from portions of Harlan and Knox Counties. Pineville, the county seat, stands near the site where pioneers on the Wilderness Road crossed the Cumberland River and was originally called Cumberland Ford. Although the town was settled in 1781, it was officially designated Pineville only when the county was formed. In the early days, hunting parties entered eastern Kentucky first through the Cumberland Gap and then through the Narrows. Because both prominent gaps lie within the county, Bell County held this critical mountain passage and served as a gateway to western movement. Before the Wilderness Road, the parallel ridges of Pine and Cumberland Mountains stood like great stone walls that barred explorers and pioneers from traveling west. The discovery of Kentucky's twin gaps, Cumberland Gap and the Narrows, opened the way for a torrent of immigrants heading west to build a nation. Pine Mountain became Kentucky's first state park in 1924 and is regarded as one of the country's finest natural resorts, noted for its rugged mountain terrain and scenic beauty.