Located at a natural gateway to the Southwest, this area saw the passage of the Great Indian Warrior & Trader Path and Island Road (1761), the first road built in Tennessee. The trail later became the Great Stage Road and was used for 150 years, marking the beginning of Daniel Boone's Wilderness Road. Kingsport was a little town on the Holston River, but it was converted to a planned industrial city during World War I. The first council-manager form of government in the state was installed in the town. The Eastman Chemical Company, the largest private employer in the state, is located in Kingsport.