 The idea of a route along the Kettle Moraine was believed to be conceived in the early 1940s by the Kettle Moraine Committee of the Izaak Walton League – Milwaukee Chapter, which was the backbone behind the development of the Kettle Moraine State Forest units.The first surveying of the area did not begin until 1946.The Wisconsin Highway Commission approved the route in 1948 and the first paving project was completed in 1950.