For centuries, the Old Federal Road ran parallel to the present road and in many areas followed the same course as a Native American walking path. In 1805, the U.S. Government negotiated with the Creek Indians to widen the path for horsemen carrying the mail, and in 1811 the U.S. Army widened it for wagons used by settlers traveling through this part of the Mississippi Territory and points west. This section led toward Mims Ferry on the Alabama River and passed near the Mims Plantation and Boatyard Lake. Hundreds of wagons traveled this rutted, muddy, bridgeless road, often taking days to cover only a few miles. Many trails and side roads branched from it, and travelers on the red clay road toward the boatyard came to the Black Crossing, where spring water through the rich dark ground made an already difficult road nearly impassable. The crossing had a deep bottom, and mud and water grew worse in rainy seasons, so heavy wagons and later motorized vehicles often needed others to push and pull them free of the bog. Just below it, a clear spring-fed pool gave passing travelers drinking water, and local residents continued using water there as late as the 1970s. In 1966, a culvert was placed in the deep bog when Boatyard Road was paved.