Before the arrival of Europeans the territory

Before the arrival of Europeans, the territory where Asheville is located was within the boundaries of Cherokee Country. 3​ In 1540, the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto arrived in the area, being the first European visitor to the area, 4​ resulting in the diseases they carried, brought from Europe, infecting the native population. 5 The history of Asheville, as a city, begins in 1784. The year in which Colonel Samuel Davidson and his family settled in the Swannanoa Valley due to his redemption as a soldier, with the grant of land from the state of North Carolina. Soon after building a log cabin on the Christian Creek plain, Davidson was ambushed and killed in the woods by a band of Cherokee hunters. Davidson's wife, his son, and a slave fled on foot to "Fort Davidson" about 16 miles away. In response to the massacre, Davidson's twin brother, Major William Davidson, and his brother-in-law Colonel Daniel Smith formed an expedition to recover the body of Samuel Davidson and to avenge his death. Months after the expedition, Major Davidson and other members of his extended family returned to the area and settled at Bee Tree Creek. According to the 1790 United States census, there were 1,000 residents in the area, except for the Cherokee. Buncombe County was officially created in 1792. The county seat, named "Morristown" in 1793, was established on a plateau where two old Indian trails crossed. In 1797 Morristown was incorporated and renamed "Asheville" in honor of Samuel Ashe, governor of North Carolina. 6 ​7​ Since the Cherokee were subjected to European settlers, the area was used as an open hunting reserve until the mid-19th century.