I have been reading a book called Virginia History Government Geography. This is what I have learned from this book and wanted to share. Alexander Spotswood was Gov. of Va.from 1710-1722. He knew that the James, the Roanoke, and the Rappahannock Rivers could be used as avenues to the lands west of Tidewater. In 1714 he built Fort Christanna on the Meherrin which is a branch of the Roanoke River. That same year he brought German colonist to settle on the Rapidan River. This colony was called Germanna. In August of 1716 Gov.Spotswood and a troop of horsemen set out to explore beyond the Blue Ridge. Tidewater roads were smooth and horses did not need to be shoed there, but for a mountain exploration the horses would need to be shoed so they stopped at Germanna to have the horses shod. At Germanna the explorers were joined by 2 companies of rangers made up of 6 men and 1 officer, and 4 Meherrin Indians used as guides. They followed the Rapidan to it's headwaters.They climbed the east side of the Blue Ridge to Swift Run Gap, ( 10 miles west of Stanardsville, which is present day Greene County). The next day they rode down the western slope of the mountains and on to the Shenandoah River. The Gov. buried a bottle there containing a statement that all of the land drained by the Shenandoah River was property of King George 1. The Gov. gave each man that was on the trip with him pins of gold in the shape of horseshoes studded with jewels, and the Latin words on each pin said " What a pleasure it is to cross the mountains". These genlemen became known as " The Knights of the Golden Horseshoes". The Gov. wanted people to settle the Shenandoah Valley that were friendly to England and Va. to share in the fur trade with the Indians and serve as a barrier of protection for the eastern part of Va. In 1720 the general assembly made 2 new counties on the frontier called Brunswick and Spotsyvania. People that settled in this region were granted lands and tax exemptions for 10 yrs. Next- Germans come to the valley of Va.