Early forest exploitation impacted the economic and social structure of the Southern Appalachians.The penetration of the mountains by railroads was a key in unlocking the region's mineral wealth, as it had the region's timber. In McCreary County, Ky., for example, a virtual wilderness of untouched and unwanted lands, considered worthless for generations, overnight aroused the interest of large corporations and land speculators whose agents invaded the territory on the heels of the new railroad.
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