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Although not on the route of the Overland Telegraph Line, the area around the Devil's Marbles did impact on the progress of the construction of the line.

This area was the start of the most northerly sector of the Central section of the line. It had taken the construction party eight months to arrive at the start of their section. Transport was crucial. Everything was carted over roadless country. There were horses, bullocks, camel trains and carts loaded with tents and provisions.

Later in the construction schedule, on December 7, 1870, engineer Robert Patterson was checking on the progress of the line when to his surprise he met a party of three men who had been travelling north from the central sections looking for the line's surveyor, John Ross.

They had been travelling for three months and had travelled part of the way with two brothers, the Milners who had left Port Augusta in September 1870 with a party of stockmen to overland the first flock of sheep into the Northern Territory. They had started off with 4300 sheep, 160 horses, 150 goats and two bullock wagons. While the flock had increased on the way they had lost 3000 sheep and 100 goats in just days after the stock had eaten poisonous plants at the Devil's Marbles, north of Barrow Creek.