 However, after colonist John Rolfe cultivated a successful strain of tobacco, the product emerged beginning in 1612 as a profitable export crop for the colony.Soon plantations with wharfs were located along both sides of that river and others in the coastal plain region of the eastern part of the state.As development spread westward, above the Fall Line, early turnpikes and canals were built to cross areas where waterways and areas were not navigable.