Archeological evidence shows that the Roanoke Valley was visited by nomadic hunting tribes as far back as 8000 B.C.E. The earliest evidence of any semi-permanent settlement comes in the area from approximately 1200 C.E., roughly the same time we find evidence of the Native Americans cultivating crops (primarily the "three sisters" - corn, beans, and squash). Digs in the region have found trash pits and building sites, as well as evidence of a pottery kiln, in sites scattered along the banks of the Roanoke River in what is now Salem.
In September of 1671, English explorers Thomas Batte and Robert Hallam recorded a visit to a Native American settlement, which they called Totero Town. They stayed three days, and according to their logs, were welcomed in friendship by the members of the Tutelo tribe. Based on the explorers' description of the area, and artifacts found during the construction of the Moyer Sports Complex, it is believed this semi-permanent settlement was located in the general vicinity of this geocache.
In the 1730s and 40s, the local Siouan tribes - Tutelo, Sapony, and Moneton - had migrated south, due to the encroachment from both incoming European settlers and from migrating Ohio Valley tribes more prone to violent resistance. Warfare in the general area was reported sporadically in the 1750s, including Shawnee & Cherokee raids on forts & settlements in what is now Blacksburg and Shawsville.
Fort Lewis was constructed in the early 1750s, to help protect the Roanoke Valley settlers from these raids. The fort itself stood to the west of Salem, in the Glenvar region, and provided protection from raids for a decade before its garrison was disbanded.