Georgia State Route 61

The roadway that would eventually become SR 61 was designated at least as early as 1919 as SR 36 from northeast of Carrollton to Villa Rica. Also, an unnumbered road was established from Chatsworth to the Tennessee state line in Tennga.[8] By the end of 1921, SR 4's eastern extension was built from Cartersville to Fairmount. Also, the segment of SR 2 between Calhoun and Ellijay was shifted southward, with it designated on the Fairmount–Chatsworth segment.[8][2] By the end of 1926, SR 34 had been redesignated as a southern branch of SR 8. All of its length had a "sand clay or top soil" surface. SR 61 was designated on the previously unnumbered road north-northeast of Chatsworth. The southern half of the segment of SR 4 from Cartersville to Fairmount had a sand clay or top soil surface. The northern half of the segment of SR 2 from Fairmount to Chatsworth had a completed semi hard surface.[2][3] Before the decade ended, US 78S was designated on the segment of SR 8 from northeast of Carrollton to Villa Rica. The segments of SR 4 from Cartersville to Fairmount, and SR 2 from Fairmount to Chatsworth, were redesignated as a southern extension of SR 61. At this time, the Chatsworth–Tennga segment was under construction.[3][9]

In 1930, the Cartersville–Rydal segment, as well as a small portion north of the Gordon–Murray county line, was under construction. The Rydal–Fairmount segment, as well as a small portion south-southeast of Chatsworth, had a completed semi hard surface.[9][10] Later that year, a small portion of SR 8 southwest of Villa Rica, as well as a portion north of the Gordon–Murray county line, was under construction. The Cartersville–Rydal segment had a sand clay or top soil surface. Also, the Gordon County portion of the Fairmount–Chatsworth segment had completed grading, but no surface course.[10][11] The next year, the segment of SR 8, from northeast of Carrollton to just southwest of Villa Rica, had a completed hard surface. The Cartersville–Rydal segment was under construction. A portion north of the Gordon–Murray county line had completed grading, but no surface course. The Chatsworth–Tennga segment had a sand clay or top soil surface.[11][12] In January 1932, an unnumbered road was built between Villa Rica and Cartersville.[12][13] In March of that year, SR 61 was designated on the previously unnumbered road from Dallas to Cartersville; however, there was no indication as to whether it was designated on the Villa Rica–Dallas segment.[14][15] By the end of the year, the Cartersville–Rydal segment had completed grading, but no surface course.[16][17] Near the end of 1933, this segment had a sand clay or top soil surface.[18][19] The next year, SR 61 was designated on the Villa Rica–Dallas segment. SR 20 was designated on the Cartersville–Rydal segment. Also, a small portion north-northeast of Rydal had a completed semi hard surface.[20][21] Before the year ended, US 411 was designated on the Cartersville–Tennga segment. The Rydal–Fairmount segment had a completed semi hard surface.[21][22] A few months later, a portion south-southwest of Dallas was under construction.[22][23] At the end of the year, a small portion north-northeast of Cartersville, and a portion north of Chatsworth, had a completed hard surface.[24][25] Late in 1936, the central portion of the segment from Cartersville to Rydal had completed grading, but was not surfaced. Also, the Fairmount–Crandall segment had a completed hard surface.[26][27] At the end of the year, a portion south-southwest of Rydal had a completed hard surface.[27][28] A few months later, the Crandall to Tennga segment also had a completed hard surface.[28][29] By the middle of 1937, about half of the segment from Villa Rica to Dallas, as well as a portion north of Dallas, was under construction. At this time, the segment from Cartersville to Rydal had a completed hard surface.[29][30] Later that year, the highway was under construction from Villa Rica to the Paulding–Bartow county line.[30][31] At the end of the year, a portion south-southwest of Dallas and a portion south of Fairmount had a completed hard surface.[31][32] The next year, US 78S was redesignated as US 78 Alternate. The Rydal–Fairmount segment, as well as the Paulding County portion of the Villa Rica–Dallas segment, had a completed hard surface.[32] By the middle of 1939, the portion of the Villa Rica–Dallas segment that was in Carroll and Douglas counties, as well as the Paulding County portion of the Dallas–Cartersville segment, had completed grading, but was not surfaced.[33][34] The decade ended with SR 20 Spur being built in the northern part of Cartersville, to function like a northern bypass of the main part of the city. Also, the Bartow County portion of the segment from Dallas to Cartersville was under construction.[35][36]

At the beginning of 1940, the central portion of the Dallas–Cartersville segment had a completed hard surface.[36][37] Near the end of the year, the entire Villa Rica–Dallas segment, as well as the Paulding County portion of the Dallas–Cartersville segment, had a completed hard surface.[37][38] In 1943, SR 20 was shifted off of US 411/SR 61 to replace the old SR 20 Spur and SR 113's routing east of Cartersville.[39][40] By the end of 1946, the Bartow County portion of the segment from Dallas to Cartersville had a completed hard surface.[41][42] A year or two later, the southern branch of SR 8 was redesignated as SR 8 Alternate (SR 8 Alt.).[42][43]

In 1952, US 78 Alt. was decommissioned.[44][45] By the middle of 1954, SR 8 Alt. was redesignated as a southern extension of SR 61.[46][47] Two decades later, SR 2 east of Cisco was impassable due to rock slides.[48][49] It wasn't until near the end of the 1980s that SR 2 was re-routed south-southwest along US 411/SR 61 from Cisco to Chatsworth, where it began a concurrency with US 76/SR 52. US 76/SR 2/SR 52 traveled to the east and southeast into Ellijay, where SR 52 departed the concurrency. US 76/SR 2 turned left onto SR 5. They traveled northeast into Blue Ridge. Here, SR 5 departed the concurrency, and US 76/SR 2 headed east as previously.[50][51]