The history of Louisville, Kentucky spans hundreds of years, and has been influenced by the area's unique geography and location. Although Kentucky was inhabited by Native Americans in prehistoric times, when white explorers and settlers began entering Kentucky in the mid-1700s, there were no permanent Native American settlements in the region. Instead, the country was used as hunting grounds by Shawnees from the north and Cherokees from the south. The area was first visited by Europeans in 1669 by René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, from France. He explored areas of the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys from the Gulf of Mexico up to modern-day Canada, claiming much of this land for France. In 1751, Christopher Gist explored areas along the Ohio River. Following the French and Indian War, France relinquished control of the area of Kentucky to England. In 1769, Daniel Boone created a trail from North Carolina to Tennessee, and then spent the next two years exploring Kentucky. In 1773, Captain Thomas Bullitt led the first exploring party into Jefferson County, surveying the land on behalf of Virginians who had been awarded land grants for service in the French and Indian War. In 1774, James Harrod began constructing Fort Harrod in Kentucky. However, battles with the native American tribes established in the area forced these new settlers to retreat. They returned the following year, as Daniel Boone built the Wilderness Road and established Fort Boonesborough at the site near Boonesborough, Kentucky. The Native Americans allocated a tract of land between the Ohio River and the Cumberland River for the Transylvania Land Company. In 1776, the colony of Virginia declared the Transylvania Land Company illegal and created the county of Kentucky in Virginia from the land involved.