Tuscumbia, Courtland, and Decatur Railroad Northern Alabama's
Tuscumbia, Courtland, and Decatur (TC&D) Railroad was an
important transportation route used by the Cherokee during
Removal. This railroad was built in 1830-31 to circumvent the
dangerous Muscle Shoals (strong current) of the Tennessee River,
known as a hazard to boat traffic. The TC&D was the first
railroad in Alabama and the first railroad built west of the
Appalachian Mountains. This report was the result of a 2007
Challenge Cost Share Program agreement between the NPS and the
Southeastern Anthropological Institute; its compilation was
directed by Gail King, with substantial input from Lamar
Marshall, Larry Smith, and Marty King. In amassing this report,
the authors unearthed much archival information that had long
lain dormant. The report describes the line’s construction, its
role during the 1838 Removal, its route (both original and in
subsequent years), and its role during the Civil War and in
later years. North Alabama’s Tuscumbia, Courtlan