Between Pawnee Fork and Fort Atkinson there are, for about three-fourths of the distance, two routes--one known as the river route, the other as the dry route. The fork of the road is in a raivne, three and a half miles beyond Pawnee Fork crossing. At ten miles from Fort Atkinson the dry route strikes into the valley of the river. By our computation, this route, which is near fifty miles long, saves in distance about ten or eleven miles--but the river route is certainly preferable, as it affords good grazing and an abundance of water.
Attributed to Lt. William H. Whipple