Originally called “The Prairie” by the Chickasaw Indians who settled there, Triana was incorporated on November 13, 1819, as the second town in Madison County. The community was purportedly named after Rodrigo de Triana, the crewman who first sighted land while sailing with Christopher Columbus on his first voyage to the Americas. Located on the Tennessee River at the terminus of Indian Creek Canal, Triana was a thriving port through which cotton and other Madison County produce moved to market before railroads were built in North Alabama. Triana was rejuvenated when it was rechartered on July 13, 1964.