 When Wisconsin's state trunk highways were first designated in 1917, the highway ran from WIS 23 near Green Lake to WIS 18 (by 1930, this had become US 10) south of Waupaca.In the early 1920s, WIS 49 was extended south to Waupun.By 1930, the highway had been extended to its current northern terminus at WIS 29, and it was paved south of Poy Sippi (between WIS 21 and US 10).