The Clinch River was a major avenue for settlement that opened southwestern Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Daniel Boone lived along its banks and commanded the forts in the area for almost two years before continuing on the trek later associated with the Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail. The region's natural resources shaped its economy: timber supplied materials for forts and homes, and logs were lashed together and rafted downriver to Chattanooga. Joshua Speers established a ferry across the Clinch River in 1833, and later railroad development facilitated coal transport while a depot here allowed passengers to change train lines and served the small community of Speers Ferry. Many local families trace their roots to colonial times, including the Carter family, whose first homestead is in nearby Natural Tunnel State Park. Among their descendants was A.P. Carter, who with his wife Sarah and sister-in-law Maybelle became famous in 1927 as the Carter Family; their contributions to American music included many songs that became standards, a guitar style, and an extended family of musicians who still perform, and the Carter Fold honors these Scott County natives with weekly concerts. Southwest Virginia's musical heritage, preserved through historically isolated communities and musical families, thrives along the Crooked Road, where old time mountain music, bluegrass, and gospel are sustained through venues, museums, festivals, radio shows, jam sessions, and performances across the Appalachian Mountains.