Every business day, several thousand cars and trucks travel between Westby and Viroqua, on the heavily traveled highway we know as US Highway 14. In the near future, the path of Highway 14, will be dramatically changed. In our busy, busy lifestyles of the twenty first century, we take all this for granted. But, did you ever wonder what the history of this piece of our land is, when was it constructed, how it all began?
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| Black River Trail Alfred Bronson began construction of wagon road in 1843 between Prairie du Chien and Black River Falls. In 1849 road from Westby to Viroqua opens |
When the white men first came to this area, the Indian trails formed a network of narrow, deep sunken paths over the face of the country, as they connected the Indian villages. Many of these Indian trails followed the earlier trails of the wild animals, deer, and the like, which wandered from place to place, through the forests and valleys in search of food and water. The white men followed these paths as well, first on foot, then on horseback or with oxen.
When the white men began to settle this area in the 1840s and 1850s, there were very few roads. The town of Bad Axe, was first created on January 9, 1849 in Crawford County. Crawford county, at that time, included not only the whole of our present Vernon County, but part of what is now La Crosse County on the north, and part of what is now Crawford county on the south. The roads laid out at that time were as follows: (1). A road leading north through the village of Viroqua to the north line of the village. (2). A road leading from Warner’s Landing (near the present day De Soto) through Spingville. (3). A road leading from De Soto to what is now Liberty Pole. (4) A road leading from what is now Liberty Pole southeasterly to Reed’s Mill (Readstown).
There was not a big need for roads at that time. When it became necessary for the pioneers in our area to go to the nearest mill for provisions for their families, the almost total absence of roads and bridges did make this a difficult and extremely slow process. They were slowed down even further by the oxen teams they used for transportation. The distance might be as far as sixty miles or more, to La Crosse or Prairie du Chien. With many complications, this trip might end up taking three or four weeks. With a large family, sometimes it was necessary to make this trip three or more times a year.
When the lumber industry got into full swing, still not a big need for roads, as the logs would be transported downstream to their destinations via the Wisconsin, Fox, and Mississippi Rivers.
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| Highway 11 entering Westby on what is Ramsland Street today |
By the decades between 1870 and 1900, the railroad had proved to be the most popular mode of transportation. Funding was focused on creating additional rail lines rather than highways.
Another reason for Wisconsin’s poor roads was the fact that the framers of the state’s constitution had inserted a clause prohibiting state appropriations for transportation and internal improvements. All responsibility for maintaining roads had been delegated to local governments. So, if there were no funds or labor for this, it just didn’t get done, or was placed at the bottom of the priority list.
During the early 1890s, a movement known as the Good Roads Movement began, to try to transform the state’s country roads into decent thoroughfares. The movement was supported by a coalition of urban merchants, progressive farm leaders, educators, and during the cycling craze of the 1880s and 1890s, cyclists. Education of the rural citizens was a feature of the Movement. Public meetings, campaign literature and posters, newspapers and farm journals were some of the ways that their cause was distributed.
Gradually, public opinion was being changed toward the acceptance of state-financed highways. At this time, the automobile age began in Wisconsin. The first self-propelled highway vehicle in the United States, if not in the entire world, was designed and operated in 1873 by Reverend Dr. J.W. Carhart of Racine. By 1899, motor cars began to appear quite often. In 1905, there were 1492 registered cars in Wisconsin and by 1916, the number had grown to 124,603.
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| Westby Viroqua Uffdabahn, Highway 14 today after being redone in 2011 |
In 1926 the US Highway (USH) was implemented, guaranteeing that a highway would maintain a uniform number as it crossed state lines. Several Wisconsin highways became part of the USH system, and today Wisconsin is home to 14 USHs. In 1934, State Highway 11 became USH 14 and for awhile at least, called the Northwest Highway. The paving of roads throughout Wisconsin was not very uniform as shown on old road maps. These same maps show that the completion of paved roads between Westby and Viroqua occurred between 1926 and 1927. Interestingly, the paving of then Highway 11 between Westby and Coon Valley did not appear until the 1932 road map. In 1956, US Highway 14/61 between Westby and Viroqua was constructed in its current location. It was repaired in 1985, and resurfaced with asphalt in 1996.
By Sheri Ballard
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