Asheville has always been at the crossroads. Here, the French Broad and Swannanoa Rivers flow together and the Blue Ridge, Great Craggies and Black Mountains on the East meet the Appalachian Mountains on the West.
Cherokee country surrounded Asheville before the arrival of Europeans. The Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto came to the area in 1540 in search of gold. His arrival also brought disease, guns, wild dogs and chains. The Cherokee fought to withstand Spain
