The first white European visitor there was Gabriel Arthur in 1674 followed by Thomas Walker in 1750. Daniel Boone then opened Boone Trace in 1775, but the area was only known as the “Yellow Creek” settlement.
The area was apparently quite swampy from Yellow Creek and not suitable for development, which only occurred later, when there became an interest in iron ore deposits around the gap by Alexander Arthur. It had been the site of a huge meteor strike millions of years ago, and the city was developed within the crater of the meteor which gave it the nickname of “Crater City.”
The city of Middlesboro has a close association with the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park and the tunnel through Cumberland Mountain into Tennessee just a mile or so southeast of the city along Hwy 25E. While in Middlesboro, a mandatory stop would be at the Bell County Museum, 207 20th Street. Also stop by the Bell County Tourism Office, 2215 West Cumberland Avenue.