James Needham and Gabriel Arthur traveled along the Occaneechi Trading Path in 1673 to meet the Cherokee at Chota
Source: East Carolina University, A New and Correct Map of the Province of North Carolina (by Edward Moseley, 1733)
James Needham and Gabriel Arthur traveled along the Occaneechi Trading Path in 1673 to meet the Cherokee at Chota
Source: East Carolina University, A New and Correct Map of the Province of North Carolina (by Edward Moseley, 1733)
William Byrd I came from England to Virginia and partnered with his uncle, Thomas Stegge, in his fur trading business based at the Fall Line of the James River. He competed with Abraham Wood, who was based at the Fall Line of the Appomattox River. The deerskins they purchased were shipped to England and converted into leather products.
Both Byrd and Wood recognized that their demand exceeded the local supply. The Native Americans around the Fall Line obtained skins and furs from further west. The English fur traders sought to avoid paying the "middlemen" (particularly the Occaneechi) by establishing direct connections with the tribes to the west.
In 1750, Wood explored south with Edward Bland. He crossed the Nottoway River and reached the Chowan, seeking information about potential trading opportunities.
Wood sent Thomas Batte and Robert Hallom in 1671 to cross the Blue Ridge and make connections with potential suppliers. They obtained new guides at Totero Town, perhaps on the Roanoke River at the site of the City of Salem today. Thomas Batte and Robert Hallom reached the New River, and on their return to Totero Town they encountered William Byrd I.
Two years later, Wood sent James Needham and Gabriel Arthur westward past Occoneechee Island at the confluence of the Dan and Staunton (Roanoke) rivers. They maneuvered past the Occaneechi living in the area and reached the Little Tennessee River. Needham and Arthur met with the Cherokee at the town of Chota.
Arthur stayed there, with the intent to learn the language in order to facilitate future trade. Needham headed back to Virginia, but his guide "Indian John" murdered him. Indian John tried to get the Cherokee to kill Arthur as well, but they refused. In 1674, with Cherokee assistance, Arthur returned home to see Abraham Wood again.1