what did American settlers find when they reached Kentucky?

Answer 1

Wonderful hunting. There were deer, elk, and buffalo at that time (the 1770s) in the area of Kentucky. It was a prized hunting ground for Indian tribes mostly living north of the Ohio River - the Shawnee, Miami, and others. I've always wondered why the major Indians towns (they did have permanent villages with fields of corn) were in the Ohio and Indiana regions rather than in Kentucky itself.
It seemed to be unoccupied land to the English pioneers such as Daniel Boone who came in the 1770s and soon brought settlers from Carolina and Virginia.

Answer 2

In addition to the good hunting, they also found salt, a highly prized commodity in those days when the best way to preserve meat was to salt it down in barrels. It was on a salt making expedition to Blue Lick that Daniel Boone was taken captive by the Shawnee and taken north.

My impression of the reason the indigenous peoples didn't settle in Kentucky was that they had been fighting over it with other groups, and the men didn't usually bring their families with them when they were on the warpath or on hunting expeditions. The long standing conflict over the area, made temporary camps a more practical approach than the fortified towns they found so useful at home.

Answer 3

May I suggest you refer to an encyclopedia or history book which would have the history of settlers and the difficulties they faced?