The Byler Road was Alabama's first state road. Governor W. W. Bibb signed into law a bill authorizing its construction December 16, 1819. Named for its chief promoter, John Byler, the turnpike was to be built by Byler and his associates 12 feet wide, clear of all roots and stumps, and they were to collect all tolls for 12 years. Completed in 1822, the road ran from Tuscaloosa near Muscle Shoals, linking the markets of the Tennessee Valley with the head of navigation of the Black Warrior River. After 1826, when Tuscaloosa became the state capital, it was "The Main Street of Northwest Alabama." In March, 1865, Union General J. H. Wilson passed over the road with 13,480 cavalrymen en route to the Battle of Selma in one of the largest cavalry raids in world history.