What was the significance of the Ohio Valley during the eighteenth century?

A. Both the British and the French respected it as Cherokee territory, creating a precedent for Native American land ownership.
B. Caught in imperial rivalries, it was viewed as a lush and promising location for future white settlement.
C. The discovery of precious metals elsewhere led to a drastic decline in the population of this area and a decrease of interest in the frontier.
D. Large numbers of escaped slaves from the Middle Colonies treated it as a haven and established a lasting settlement there.
E. It was the preferred area of settlement for "crypto-Jews" in North America and attracted many Spaniards.