In 1914 the Atlantic Coast Line RR built what became known as the Perry Cutoff, or West Coast Route, connecting Perry to the end of the line at the Suwannee River, and then on to Tampa. By the time all work was done, in about 1928, this made for a direct passenger route from Chicago to Tampa. Unfortunately, there was little industry along the line, so when passenger service ended, this route became an expensive-to-maintain shortcut losing money. The ACL RR eventually merged with the Seaboard Air Line, and then in 1998 with the Chessie System to become the CSX RR (which stands for Chessie, Seaboard, and everything else). In about 1998 the line was removed from Perry to Cross City, and south of Wilcox Junction, and the line from Cross City to Newberry sold to a short line company, Florida West Coast RR. Even this line is now gone, and this remaining section became a wonderful rails-to-trails linear park. One of the most beautiful sections anywhere in the state is at the trestle spanning the Suwannee River a short distance west of here.