The Alabama Tennessee River Railroad was chartered by the Alabama legislature in the session of 1836-1837. Work began at Selma in 1851, and the rails reached Blue Mountain in 1861 before construction was terminated during the War Between the States. In 1867, a contract was let to complete the road to Dalton, Georgia. Three corporations merged to form the Selma, Rome and Dalton Railroad, which reached Dalton in 1869. On June 20, 1868, the first train arrived in Cross Plains from Jacksonville.