For the last eight miles this highway has followed closely the course of the Old Federal Road, northeast Georgia’s earliest vehicular thoroughfare and first postal route. It led this way from the southeast Cherokee boundry in the direction of Athens, Georgia, via Tate, Talking Rock, Spring Place, and Ringgold, running toward Nashville, Tennessee. The Indians granted formal rights to open the trace in the 1805 Treaty of Tellico, Tennessee. Another prong of the route led toward Ramhurst, toward Knoxville, Tennessee. At this point the old route bore left, toward Rossville, passing just south of the road intersection ahead.