Chartered in 1866, the Cartersville and Van Wert Railroad was originally planned to connect the Western & Atlantic Railroad at Cartersville, Georgia to the Selma, Rome and Dalton Railroad at Prior, Georgia almost on the Alabama state line.

By 1870 the railroad had 14 miles (23 km) of 5 ft (1,524 mm) broad gauge track connecting Cartersville to Taylorsville, Georgia but further growth was apparently impeded by shady financial dealings by then Governor Rufus Bullock, Hanniball Kimball, and other associates. These problems caused the railroad to be reorganized as the Cherokee Railroad.

References

• Hilton, George W. (1990). American Narrow Gauge Railroads. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. ISBN 0-8047-2369-9.