The Elk River crossing here on the Columbia, Pulaski, Elkton, and Alabama Turnpike (earlier called the Bumpass Trail) was the narrowest part that could be bridged between Fayetteville, Tennessee, and Florence, Alabama. During the Civil War, a wooden bridge stood here, vital to the movement of both Federal and Confederate troops. The town of Elkton is up the hill and to your left. On November 6–7, 1863, Union Gen. William T. Sherman and his army marched through the town en route from Memphis to Chattanooga.
