Other than such emergencies as childbirth and the approach of winter, however, nothing could induce them to leave their mountain. John Oliver, the first settler in Cades Cove, claimed that Spence burned trees and cleared Spence Field in the 1830s, lending credence to the argument that Spence Field is not a natural bald. Regardless, the field was still being used as a summer-time pasture in 1900, where thousands of cows, horses, sheep, and goats grazed while the bottomlands were used for planting crops. Arnold Guyot, who surveyed much of the Smokies crest in the late 1850s, measured the elevation of "Spence cabin" at . Author Horace Kephart frequented Spence Field— specifically a herder's shack at Spence known as "Spencer cabin"— in the early 1900s. The Bote Mountain Trail, which intersects the Appalachian Trail at Spence Field, can be accessed at its trailhead along Little River Road or via several spur trails. From this trailhead, it is approximately to Spence. From the Lead Cove trailhead, also on Little River Road, it is approximately to Spence. From Cades Cove (via the Anthony Creek Trail, which rises out of the campground), it is approximately to Spence Field. The Eagle Creek trailhead is located on the north side of Fontana Dam, and rises to Spence Field. The Jenkins Ridge Trail connects Spence Field with the remote Hazel Creek area, in the southwestern Smokies. The Spence Field Shelter can accommodate 12 backpackers. A permit is required for overnight use. The shelter is located along the Eagle Creek Trail, approximately 100 meters south of the Appalachian Trail junction. The Russell Field and Mollies Ridge shelters are just a few miles to the west.