The French were well settled in the North (Canada) and in New Orleans to the south. The English were well entrenched on the east coast, but the Appalachian Mountains were a formidable natural barrier to expansion. The French needed to establish themselves in the Ohio Country to protect the natural river passages to the Mississippi River.

The French sent an expedition into the wilderness and buried lead plaques claiming the region for King Louis XV. Soon, the strategic significance of the River Junction became evident to both the French and the British, and war soon followed.