Hightower (Etowah) Trail was one of the best marked Indian trails in Georgia and served as a heavily used crossover between two noted trading paths radiating from Augusta. Recognized as a former boundary between Cherokee and Creek lands, part of it became the boundary line between Gwinnett and DeKalb Counties by act of the General Assembly in 1822. Early families settled along the trail, and it remained a main road until the 1840s. Although some segments were abandoned, many sections remain in use as part of present day roads. The name is believed to come from the Cherokee, Ita-Wa.