Transportation
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Built in 1835, the Military Road became the first highway to cross the state after Congress appropriated $5,000 to connect the St. Lawrence and Mississippi River basins. Troops at Fort Crawford constructed the road from Prairie du Chien to Portage, those at Fort Winnebago extended it to Fond du Lac, and those at Fort Howard completed it to Green Bay. Blazed trees and ploughed furrows marked the route, and brush laid in river beds made wagon crossings possible. The early thoroughfare followed many Indian trails. Army officials who supervised the work became interested in the future of the territory and invested their own finances in its development. As the first influence of the federal government in Wisconsin, the Military Road encouraged settlers to come to this territory.
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Fond du Lac, Wisconsin · United States
