Rail history The main route of the trail follows a former rail line that was originally built by the
Chicago, Madison and Northern Railroad and opened in 1887, with the first official train traveling the full route in February 1888. The line eventually came under the control of the
Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. then last saw regular
Wisconsin and Southern Railroad freight service in the early 1980s.
Trail history Feasibility studies for the trail began in December 1976. In 2000, the state Natural Resources Board purchased the right-of-way to develop the trail. Republican state legislators raised objections to the DNR spending and stewardship in 2003 but were unable to block the $499,000 allocated for improvements to the trail. In October 2003, the
Wisconsin Building Commission approved spending $303,000 toward restoration of the Stewart Tunnel; repairs to the tunnel began in 2005. The Wisconsin DNR held a vote for final approvals of the trail in February 2006. and was denied funding for a connection to the
Cannonball Trail (an extension of the
Military Ridge State Trail); the city was also denied funding for a service hub at the junction of the Badger State, Capitol City and Cannonball trails. The trail was officially opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony in Belleville on July 8, 2007. Although the section through Fitchburg wouldn't be paved on the trail's opening, in its first year of use as a recreational trail, the
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources estimated that, despite a temporary closure in August due to flooding, it was used by 31,000 people between July 1 and December 31, 2007, with 6,000 snowmobilers in December. State and local representatives approved a spending measure to pave the northern section in September 2008. Finally on November 18, 2009, the Building Commission unanimously approved funding to complete the section in Fitchburg, allowing $497,000 to be borrowed in stewardship. In April 2010, the city of Fitchburg accepted bids to pave the trail and repair bridges and
level crossings within the city. In 2014, the northern end of the trail, where it intersects with both the
South West Bike Path and the Cannonball Trail, was rebuilt to make the first bicycle
roundabout in the Madison area. The roundabout has come to be known as the Velo UnderRound. Strong thunderstorms caused flooding and tree damage along the trail in 2017, forcing closures until the damage could be repaired. In 2019, the DNR closed the Stewart Tunnel for safety reasons, due to "sections of loose and falling rocks from the ceiling and side walls." The tunnel remains closed to this day. In summer 2020, a short section of the trail in Fitchburg, where it crosses McKee Road, was temporarily closed. The closure was to allow crews to rebuild the street and to install a bridge for the trail over the road. ==Notable incidents==