The development of the Lele can in fact be traced back to the Ching Dynasty. Liu Ming-chuan, in order to connect the east and west coasts, dispatched a high ranking military officer, Wu Kuang-liang, to lay the eastern portions of the ancient Patungkuan road along the Lele River.
樂樂溪的開發史，其實可以追溯到清朝，沈葆楨為打通東西聯絡道路，派南澳總兵吳光亮開鑿八通關古道，東段即順樂樂溪流域的山形水勢而行。