![]() ![]() By 1861 sections fell under the control of the towns and cities it passed through. Because the company was unable to compete with the railroad, the owners began abandoning parts of it. It was profitable until 1855, when the railroad from Milwaukee to Watertown was completed. Construction of the road began in 1848 and was completed in 1853. While most plank roads were not successful, the Watertown Plank Road, a name which survives to this day, was a brief exception. Road maintenance costs drove many plank road companies out of business. Even oak wore under heavy loads and weather, though. Eight-foot-long planks, two or more inches thick, laid across two oak rails eight feet apart and four inches square, provided a smooth surface for wagons and, depending on weather conditions, were safe for the animals pulling them. The roads were usually built of oak planks, which outlasted softer woods. In 1848 Wisconsin chartered corporations to build plank roads and allowed them to charge a toll for their use, hoping to provide more reliable transportation. Dirt roads were often impassible during wet conditions, making it difficult for farmers to bring their products to Milwaukee for local consumption or to be shipped elsewhere from the city’s port. ![]() Other trails were widened and straightened to make roads that radiated from Milwaukee to Muskego, Pewaukee, West Bend, Cedarburg, and other communities. They filled in low spots with logs or log bridges. By 1840, soldiers had cut a thirty-three-foot wide dirt route along these trails, through forests and prairies. The first road through Milwaukee connected the forts at Chicago and Green Bay. Indian trails served as the basis for many of today’s roads. The trails ran on the higher, drier ground where possible because of obstacles, they took many twists and turns. Many led to Milwaukee, from all directions but east. They provided routes between what would later become cities and towns, like Waukesha to Eagle or West Bend to Port Washington. Before Europeans came to the Milwaukee area, Indian trails served as the way to travel from one place to another. Generally, roads link distant places together, while streets provide access within a community. ![]()
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