Editing York County, South Carolina (section)

===Pre-colonial and early colonial history===
With a population of nearly 6,000 at the time of first European contact, the native inhabitants, the [[Catawba (tribe)|Catawba]], were primarily agriculturalists. [[Hernando de Soto (explorer)|Hernando de Soto]] passed through the area in the 1540s in his search for gold. Several decades later [[Juan Pardo (explorer)|Juan Pardo]] recorded his observation of a predominantly Native American tribe, later confirmed to be the Catawba, in the vicinity of present-day [[Fort Mill, South Carolina|Fort Mill]], east of the [[Catawba River]].

The [[Province of South Carolina]] was founded in 1670. Twelve years later, it was divided into three counties. One of these, Craven County, roughly encompassed the northern half of the colony (including the southern half of present-day York County). In contrast, the northern portion of York County was considered part of [[North Carolina Colony|North Carolina]].

The first European settlers in the [[Carolina Piedmont]], traditionally called the [[South Carolina Upcountry]], were [[Scotch-Irish American|Scots-Irish]] [[Presbyterian]]s. They comprised the most numerous immigrants from the British Isles in the eighteenth century and the latest to arrive. Rising rent and land prices in western [[Pennsylvania]] drove them southward down the [[Great Wagon Road]], and they began arriving in the Upcountry west of the Catawba River during the 1740s. They settled in present-day York County during the 1750s.

==== North Carolina's rule ====
Before the boundaries between the two Carolinas were fixed,<ref>Note: Several boundary changes took place between 1772 and 1805</ref> the northern portion of York County was part of [[Bladen County, North Carolina]], and in 1750 it was included in the newly created [[Anson County, North Carolina]] (the first land grants and deeds for the region were issued in Anson). In 1762 [[Mecklenburg County, North Carolina]], was formed from western Anson and included present-day northern York County. Five years later, the area became part of [[Tryon County, North Carolina]], which comprised all of [[North Carolina]] west of the Catawba River and south of [[Rowan County, North Carolina|Rowan County]]. This area would remain a part of Tryon County until 1772 when the boundary between North and South Carolina in this portion was finally established.<ref>[http://www.carolana.com/NC/Counties/tryon_county_nc.html Tryon County, North Carolina History], Alfred Nixon, 1910, accessed ???</ref>