Arcane Topic Warning! Probably only Dwarf fans will find this interesting.

[Groin Redbeard]

Originally Posted by Kuruharan

My essential question is was the Lonely Mountain inhabited before the Kings of Durin’s Folk moved in and set up shop there?

I think that essentially the Erebor was uninhabited. There was no gain for the dwarves by moving into a lone mountain in the middle of nowhere.

I don't mean to bring up the 'Chicken and the Egg' comparision here. But could it be possible that one of the reasons that the dwarves moved in was because of Lake Town and the ability to trade with humans?

[TheGreatElvenWarrior]

Originally Posted by Groin Redbeard

I think that essentially the Erebor was uninhabited. There was no gain for the dwarves by moving into a lone mountain in the middle of nowhere.

I don't mean to bring up the 'Chicken and the Egg' comparision here. But could it be possible that one of the reasons that the dwarves moved in was because of Lake Town and the ability to trade with humans?

Hmm.. very interesting, I think that Lake Town probably came before the dwarves settled into Erebor...

[Groin Redbeard]

Originally Posted by TheGreatElvenWarrior

Hmm.. very interesting, I think that Lake Town probably came before the dwarves settled into Erebor...

Thanks TGEW. If what you say is true, then that conferms my theory.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by TheGreatElvenWarrior

Hmm.. very interesting, I think that Lake Town probably came before the dwarves settled into Erebor...

Well, it's not for sure. In both Appendix A I and III we read that there were the Northerners living between Celduin and Carnen before the coming of the Dwarves. The question is, whether "between" includes also Lake-Town. In Hobbit, we read that Dale was built only after the Dwarven realm under Erebor was founded; on the other hand in UT (Cirion and Eorl, right at the beginning) we read that Éotheod was formed from runaway Northerners who merged with the people from Dale. But neither of this speaks for the existence of Lake-Town. Another thing is, that before the Dwarves came - and later, the Dragon - there was the realm of Wood-Elves reaching as far as Celduin, resp. to the western shores of the Long Lake.

Originally Posted by UT, The History of Galadriel and Celeborn, Appendix B - The Sindarin princes of the Silvan Elves

extended into the woods surrounding the Lonely Mountain and growing along the west shores of the Long Lake, before the coming of the Dwarves exiled from Moria and the invasion of the Dragon.

Now the question is whether there will be Men living there under such circumstances. That's a question opened for everyone to answer to himself, based on his own conclusions on what he thinks is more plausible.