Fox River Trail opens from Brookfield to Pewaukee along historic Milwaukee Road rail route

Jim Riccioli, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Updated ·3 min read
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This footbridge is part of the new Fox River Trail's infrastructure through wetlands along the river between the cities of Brookfield and Pewaukee. Waukesha County Parks is unveiling the three-mile long trail Aug. 30 in a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
This footbridge is part of the new Fox River Trail's infrastructure through wetlands along the river between the cities of Brookfield and Pewaukee. Waukesha County Parks is unveiling the three-mile long trail Aug. 30 in a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

PEWAUKEE - A new bike and pedestrian trail that owes its existence to one of the region's most historic railroads has opened a unique path to users in Brookfield, Pewaukee, Waukesha and beyond.

Waukesha County officials planned an Aug. 30 ribbon-cutting ceremony formally unveiling the new Fox River Trail, along an angling path that was once part of the Milwaukee & Waukesha Railroad in the days there were no cities of Pewaukee and Brookfield, and Waukesha was a pre-Springs Era village.

For trail users, its wetlands and woodlands surrounded by modern residential subdivisions will be an all-new experience, with the tracks replaced by a paved path within spitting distance of the Fox River. The trail stretches from the city of Pewaukee at Watertown Road near Interstate 94 northward into the city of Brookfield at River and Brookfield roads.

"For this delightful addition to the outdoor recreation landscape in Waukesha County, we are grateful for the collaboration, dedication and passion of the region's trail lovers and the staffs of the City of Brookfield, the City of Pewaukee, and Waukesha County Parks," Waukesha County Executive Paul Farrow said in a statement Monday ahead of the ceremonial ribbon-cutting. "It’s easier than ever now for more Waukesha County residents and visitors to enjoy the outdoors and pursue wellness goals."

This Waukesha Parks map shows the route of the new Fox River Trail from Brookfield to Pewaukee. The route was part of the original Milwaukee & Waukesha railroad that became part of the Milwaukee Road before it was abandoned.
This Waukesha Parks map shows the route of the new Fox River Trail from Brookfield to Pewaukee. The route was part of the original Milwaukee & Waukesha railroad that became part of the Milwaukee Road before it was abandoned.

The 3-mile trail has been a long time coming. Planning began years ago as Waukesha County Parks officials began taking steps to convert the long-abandoned railroad right of way. Those plans had a lot of consider, including environmental factors, with actual construction spanning multiple years.

For those riding the new trail, its history isn't immediately evident.

The Milwaukee & Waukesha railroad was incorporated in 1847 to capture a share of the then-growing industry built around rail traffic. The Brookfield segment that dipped southwest into Waukesha completed the connection between the two namesake cities, but that wasn't the end of the line, historically speaking.

Eventually, it kept moving westward — with the Waukesha segment ending at Prairie Du Chien — under successively broader geographic names: The Milwaukee & Mississippi Railroad; the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul; and, finally, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific, one of the largest railroads in the nation in the 1970s and known more generally as the Milwaukee Road. (What was left of the downsized Milwaukee Road was sold to the Soo Line Railroad in 1985.)

The new trail's name might cause some confusion, given two other trails by the same, or similar, names. Waukesha's Fox River Trail, also part of Waukesha County Parks, runs seven miles from the heart of Waukesha into the county's Fox River Park to the south. There's also the Fox River State Trail, a 25-mile stretch from Green Bay south, also along a former railroad right of way.

Park officials will begin the ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:30 a.m. at the Coffeeville Company, 2825 N. Brookfield Road in Brookfield.

Contact Jim Riccioli at (262) 446-6635 or  james.riccioli@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @jariccioli.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Waukesha County opens Fox River Trail in Brookfield and Pewaukee