WISCONSIN STORIES IS A PARTNERSHIP OF THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN AND WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION.

Tracy Will: DO YOU KNOW ANYBODY WHO HAS NEVER HEARD OF THE WISCONSIN DELLS ? Debbie Kmetz: NO. Will: I DIDN'T THINK SO. Kmetz: THERE'S A REASON FOR THAT. AND IT GOES WAY BACK TO SHORTLY AFTER THE CIVIL WAR WHEN A PHOTOGRAPHER NAMED H.H. BENNETT BEGAN SELLING HIS PICTURES OF THE DELLS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD ENTICING VISITORS TO COME AND EXPERIENCE THE WONDERS OF THE WISCONSIN RIVER. Will: THE BENNETT STUDIO HAS CONTINUED TO DOCUMENT AND PROMOTE THE WISCONSIN DELLS EVER SINCE. AND NOW, A MAJOR NEW ATTRACTION GUARANTEES THAT H.H. BENNETT WILL BE A PART OF THE DELLS FOR YEARS TO COME. HOW THE HECK DID THAT HAPPEN ? Kmetz: THE LEGACY OF THE MAN WHO MADE THE DELLS FAMOUS TONIGHT'S WISCONSIN STORY.

MAJOR FUNDING FOR WISCONSIN STORIES IS PROVIDED BY THE MEAD WITTER FOUNDATION, INC. WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WISCONSIN. ADDITIONAL FUNDING IS PROVIDED BY THE HALBERT AND ALICE KADISH FOUNDATION PHILIP J. AND ELIZABETH B. HENDRICKSON AND AN ADVISED FUN OF THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN.

Will: YOU PROBABLY RECOGNIZE THIS PLACE. THIS IS WHERE THE KIDS REALLY START VIBRATING. HELLO, I'M TRACY WILL, OF WISCONSIN PUBLIC TELEVISION. WE'RE HERE AT THE WISCONSIN DELLS TO ATTEND A REALLY EXCITING EVENT. HI, I'M DEBBIE KMETZ OF THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN. WE OPERATE HISTORIC SITES AROUND THE STATE WHERE VISITORS CAN STEP BACK INTO WISCONSIN HISTORY AT PLACES WHERE IT ACTUALLY HAPPENED. TODAY, WE'RE IN THE WISCONSIN DELLS FOR THE OPENING OF THE NEWEST SITE THE H.H. BENNETT STUDIO AND HISTORY CENTER. IT TOOK YEARS OF PREPARATION TO GET TO THIS DAY. AND WE WERE THERE FOR A WHOLE BUNCH OF IT. H.H. BENNETT WAS WELL KNOWN FOR HIS STEREOSCOPIC VIEWS. THROUGH BENNETT'S VIEWS ONE CAN VISIT THE DELLS OF YESTERDAY. THE STEREOSCOPE WAS THE TV OF THE 1900s. WELL, THAT'S THE TECHNOLOGY SECTION. HOW IT WORKS HOW THE VISUAL ASPECT WITH TWO EYES... IF YOU'D BE SO KIND, I'D LIKE TO ASK YOU A FEW QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STAGE THAT YOU'RE AT RIGHT NOW. WELL, WE'RE WORKING, TODAY, ON THE EXHIBIT PLAN FOR THE MUSEUM AND THE FURNISHING PLAN FOR THE HISTORIC SITE.

SINCE 1993-94, WHEN THE REESE FAMILY APPROACHED THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY INTERESTED IN GIFTING THE HISTORIC STUDIO AND COLLECTION WE'VE BEEN PLANNING ON HOW TO DEVELOP THE SITE IN THE WISCONSIN DELLS AREA.

WE HAVE DEVELOPED A BUILDING PROGRAM THAT ANTICIPATES ALL OF THE DIFFERENT SPACES THAT WE NEED TO HELP MAKE SURE THAT WE MEET ALL THE OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MANY FUNCTIONS THAT ARE GOING TO TAKE PLACE HERE. AND THE COMMUNITY OF WISCONSIN DELLS HAS BEEN VERY INTIMATELY INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT. WE HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH THE HO-CHUNK BECAUSE SO MANY OF BENNETT'S IMAGES ARE OF THEIR PAST, ALSO. WISCONSIN DELLS IS A MAJOR DRAW FOR NOT ONLY PEOPLE IN WISCONSIN BUT PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. AND TO BE ABLE TO SHARE THIS STORY PART OF WISCONSIN'S HISTORY WITH SO MANY PEOPLE IS EXCITING TO US.

Will: AND JUST WHAT IS THE STORY THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY HAS SET OUT TO TELL AT THE BENNETT STUDIO ? I ASKED SITE DIRECTOR, JIM TEMMER.

IT'S A REAL TYPICAL AMERICAN STORY. HIS DAD CAME OUT TO WISCONSIN TO TRY AND BETTER HIS LIFE IN THE 1840s. AND BENNETT CAME ALONG WITH HIM. AND HE LOVED IT HERE. HE WAS 14 YEARS OLD. HE ALMOST IMMEDIATELY BONDED WITH THE LAND HERE WITH THE RIVER, WITH THE LANDSCAPE. HE WORKED VARIOUS ODD JOBS, SOME CARPENTRY. AND BY THE TIME HE ENTERED THE CIVIL WAR HE WAS A VOLUNTEER FROM WISCONSIN. BENNETT HAD A HOLE BLOWN THROUGH HIS HAND. HE COULD NO LONGER BE A CARPENTER. BUT HE TRIED PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY. IT DIDN'T WORK. HE WAS READY TO COMPLETELY GIVE UP PHOTOGRAPHY WHEN HIS FIRST WIFE, FRANKIE, SAID, "I'LL TAKE OVER THE STUDIO YOU GO AND TRY SOMETHING ELSE." THE SOMETHING ELSE WAS LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY. HE LOVED THE RIVER. HE WENT UP AND DOWN LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT SHOTS.

THERE'S BEEN A REAL ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT OF THE TOURIST INDUSTRY IN THE DELLS. AND PEOPLE AT H.H. BENNETT REALLY STARTED THAT. ORIGINALLY, WHEN PEOPLE WOULD COME HERE  THEY'D KIND OF RENT OUT A GUIDE AND A ROWBOAT AND THEN HAVE TO BE OARED UP AND DOWN THE RIVER. THE FIRST STEAM SHIPS WERE THE BIGGEST CONTRIBUTOR TO THE AREA WHERE YOU COULD PUT ON LARGE GROUPS OF PEOPLE. YOU HAD RESORTS GOING IN, OF COURSE TO SERVICE THE PEOPLE ON THE BOATS. HE KNEW THAT PART OF HIS BUSINESS WAS GETTING PEOPLE TO COME HERE. HIS STEREOVIEWS THAT HE PUT OUT ALL OVER THE COUNTRY PUT THE SEED IN PEOPLE'S MINDS TO VISIT THE DELLS OR KILBOURN CITY, AS IT WAS CALLED THEN. THEN, ONCE THEY GOT HERE AND THEY'D BE ON A RIVER BOAT HE'D TAKE THEIR PICTURE BEFORE THEY GOT ON. THEY'D TAKE THEIR TRIP, THEY'D GET OFF HE'D BE THERE WAITING TO SELL THEM SOUVENIR COPIES. HE'D SAY, "BY THE WAY, IF YOU LIKED THOSE ROCK FORMATIONS "COME DOWN TO MY STUDIO TONIGHT AND I CAN SELL YOU SOME MORE PICTURES." AFTER HIS DEATH, HIS SECOND WIFE, EVALINE CARRIED ON THE BUSINESS THEN HIS DAUGHTERS, AND HIS GRANDDAUGHTER, JEAN AND HER HUSBAND, OLIVER REESE. IT'S REALLY A RARE GIFT FOR THE STATE OF WISCONSIN TO HAVE ALL OF THIS NOT ONLY THE ARTIFACTS BUT THE BUILDING AND THE RECORDS AND THE ORAL HISTORY THAT WE GOT FROM THE FAMILY. THE FAMILY HAS KEPT ALIVE H.H. BENNETT. NOW, WHO'S THIS ? YOU DON'T KNOW, HUH ? NO. THAT'S OLLIE AND I. THAT'S OUR WEDDING PICTURE. YOU WERE A LOVELY BRIDE. A HANDSOME HUSBAND. OH, YEAH, WEREN'T WE CUTE ? YEAH, YOU WERE ! STILL ARE, DOGGONE IT ! Dyer Reese: THIS IS AN ORIGINAL PICTURE THAT H.H. TOOK WITH HIS SON, ASHLEY, WHO JUMPED STAND ROCK. Will: THAT'S GREAT; I REMEMBER IN THE PICTURE THE FELLOW WITH THE MUSTACHE WHO JUMPS ACROSS. AND MY GRANDMOTHER, EVALINE AND MY MOTHER IS THAT LITTLE GIRL AND MIRIAM, HER SISTER.

MY AUNT MIRIAM SHE WAS MAKING A LOT OF DIFFERENT MOVIES INCLUDING THE FAMILY AND THEIR ACTIVITIES. AND MY GRANDMOTHER APPEARED. SHE WAS THE BOSS THEN. SHE WAS A SAINT. I KNOW SHE WAS A SAINT.

WHEN H.H. DIED, SHE KNEW THAT H.H.'S PICTURES WERE POPULAR AND THAT SHE WOULD HAVE TO MAKE MORE PICTURES. Will: IT'S SORT OF REMARKABLE AS A WIDOW, TAKING OVER A MAIN BUSINESS. IN THOSE DAYS, WIDOWS DIDN'T DO THAT. AND EVERYONE EXPECTED HER TO FAIL, TOO. IN FACT, A LOT OF THE OTHER POSTCARD COMPANIES WENT OUT AND STOLE HER COPYRIGHTED PICTURES AND PRODUCED THEM. BUT THEY DIDN'T WHOOP HER, ANYWAY. SHE HUNG IN THERE. Will: GROWING UP HERE IN THE DELLS... OH, YEAH. WHAT WERE YOUR FAVORITE PARTS OF THE DELLS ? THE RIVER. SHE GREW UP HERE, WE'LL ASK HER FIRST. WHAT WERE YOUR FAVORITE SPOTS ? THE RIVER. Will: H.H. PHOTOGRAPHED A LOT OF THOSE THINGS. YOU MUST HAVE GOTTEN FAMILIAR WITH THE SITES. Oliver Reese: OH, YES. HE WOULD GO OUT AND PHOTOGRAPH THE SAME ROCK ALWAYS HOPING TO GET SOMETHING JUST A LITTLE BETTER THAN THE LAST TIME. HE HAD A NATURAL ARTISTIC ABILITY. HE HAD A VERY GOOD FRIEND IN MILWAUKEE, MR. METCALF. WELL, I THINK HE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF ARTISTIC TRAINING FROM MR. METCALF. Temmer: METCALF VIEWED PHOTOGRAPHY AS ART WHICH MAY CRITICS OF THAT DAY DID NOT. HE WAS A MILWAUKEE INDUSTRIALIST AND MADE MONEY IN THE SHOE AND BOOT BUSINESS. HE WAS BORN IN HAVANA, CUBA WHERE HIS DAD WAS A PORTRAIT ARTIST.  AND HE SAW A LOT OF POTENTIAL IN THIS YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHER. THE STUDIO THAT WAS BUILT IN 1875 WAS BUILT WITH METCALF'S MONEY. AND ON METCALF'S 60th BIRTHDAY HE GRANTED THE REMAINDER OF THAT MORTGAGE TO BENNETT AS A GIFT. AND OF COURSE, H.H. BENNETT WAS VERY PLEASED. AND HE SAID HE WOULD DO TWO THINGS: NUMBER ONE, HE WOULD NEVER SELL THE STUDIO TO MAKE MONEY; AND NUMBER TWO, A PORTRAIT OF METCALF WILL ALWAYS HANG IN THAT STUDIO. AND WE HAVE THAT PORTRAIT OF METCALF IN THE FRAME THAT ALWAYS HUNG THERE. AND AS LONG AS WE HOLD IT, IT ALWAYS WILL HANG THERE. SO, THE PROMISES THAT BENNETT MADE METCALF WILL GO ON LONG PAST HIS DAYS.

JIM DRAEGER: IF WHAT THIS IS ABOUT IS PRESENTING THIS BUILDING AS A BUILDING THAT BENNETT WORKED IN YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO SHOW AS MUCH GENUINE BENNETT CONSTRUCTION OF THE BUILDING AS YOU CAN. IT'S BUILDING ARCHAEOLOGY. WE'RE TRYING TO LOOK AT THE BUILDING AS IF IT IS AN ARTIFACT AND LOOK AT THE TANGIBLE, PHYSICAL EVIDENCE THAT REMAINS. SO, WE STARTED AT THE CEILING BECAUSE WE WERE THE MOST INTERESTED IN TRYING TO DETERMINE WHERE THE SKYLIGHT HAD BEEN. THERE WAS ONCE A LARGE, EXPANSIVE SKYLIGHT HERE THAT WILL BE RECONSTRUCTED. HE BUILDS THE SKYLIGHT HERE ORIGINALLY BECAUSE EVERYTHING WAS EXPOSED IN NATURAL LIGHT. THEN, LATER ON HE SELLS THE PROPERTY OVER IN THE SIDE YARD, HERE. AND AT THAT POINT, HE HAS TO REMOVE THE SKYLIGHT. IT'S COVERED OVER BY THE NEW BUILDING. SO, UP IN THE CEILING, WE WERE ABLE TO FIND EXACTLY WHERE THE SKYLIGHT RAN. YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A BIG SLOT CUT INTO THE SIDE OF THAT JOIST, THERE. THE SKYLIGHT SAT RIGHT IN THERE. SO, ALREADY, WE KNOW WHAT ITS ANGLE IS. WE KNOW WHAT ITS HEIGHT WAS. THEN, WE SAW THIS COLOR OF THE ORIGINAL WALL, HERE STOPPING RIGHT HERE WITH A SEAM HERE, WHICH TOLD US THE SKYLIGHT WENT ACROSS THE CEILING, DOWN THE WALL ALL THE WAY DOWN TO THIS POINT, HERE, AND THEN CONTINUED BACK. BUT WE DIDN'T KNOW THE ANGLE OF THE OTHER HALF OF THE SKYLIGHT SO WE DID SOME EXPLORING IN THE WALL. THERE WAS AN OBVIOUS PATCH WITH BOARDS STEPPING UP WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE THE POINT THAT THE REAR PORTION OF THE SKYLIGHT SAT ON. Will: HOW DOES THAT HELP WITH RESTORATION ? Draeger: THE WAY IT HELPS US IS WE KNOW WHAT THIS BUILDING LOOKS LIKE TODAY. WE CAN MEASURE THIS BUILDING AND WE CAN DRAW IT. AND IF WE CAN IDENTIFY SPECIFIC POINTS WE CAN PLOT THOSE ON THE BUILDING AS IT EXISTS EXTRAPOLATE FROM THERE AND COME UP WITH A RECONSTRUCTION OF THE SKYLIGHT.

WE KNEW THAT THE BUILDING HAD AN EARLIER FRONT THAN THE FRONT ON IT. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN AN EXAMPLE OF A KIND OF COMMONPLACE ITALIANATE DESIGN, WHICH WAS VERY POPULAR AND CONSIDERED TO BE VERY PRESTIGIOUS AND AFFLUENT. Will: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE STYLE ASPECTS OF THAT ? Draeger: LONG, SKINNY WINDOWS WITH VERY ELABORATE TOPS. AN ANGULARITY IN THE DESIGN. IT'S TALL AND NARROW ARCHITECTURE THAT WAS DESIGNED ON A RELATIVELY SMALL BUDGET BUT HAD PRETENSES TO STYLE. THERE ARE SOCIETAL EXPECTATIONS OF THE WAY THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING SHOULD APPEAR. UP FRONT IS WHERE HE'S SELLING HIMSELF AS AN ARTIST. Kmetz: WAS H.H. BENNETT TRULY AN ARTIST ? I WANTED TO FIND OUT JUST HOW GOOD HIS PHOTOGRAPHS REALLY ARE.

AND WHO BETTER TO ASK THAN JOHN SZARKOWSKI DIRECTOR EMERITUS OF THE PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION AT NEW YORK'S MUSEUM OF MODERN ART. SO, YOU GREW UP IN ASHLAND. YOU WERE BORN IN ASHLAND ? John Szarkowski: BORN IN ASHLAND AND THOUGHT MADISON WAS SOUTH OF THE MASON-DIXON LINE UNTIL I WENT TO SCHOOL HERE. Kmetz: WHEN DID YOU FIRST COME TO KNOW BENNETT'S WORK ? I USED TO HITCHHIKE BACK AND FORTH FROM MADISON TO ASHLAND. AND I HITCHHIKED THROUGH WISCONSIN DELLS WHEN IT WAS, I MUST SAY A VERY DIFFERENT TOWN THAN IT IS TODAY. HIS STUDIO WAS RIGHT THERE. I GOT TO KNOW THE WORK A LITTLE BIT JUST BY LOOKING IN THE WINDOW. I KNEW ENOUGH ABOUT THE WORK TO RESPECT IT, A LOT. SO, IN I THINK IT WAS '63, I DID A SHOW AT THE MUSEUM CALLED "THE PHOTOGRAPHER AND THE AMERICAN LANDSCAPE" AND CAME TO FEEL THAT HE REALLY WAS A UNIQUE FIGURE IN AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHY. Kmetz: TELL ME A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT. Szarkowski: HE PHOTOGRAPHED A PLACE THAT I THINK SYMBOLIZED, IN THE LATTER 19th CENTURY THE BEGINNINGS OF THE DISCOVERY THAT WILD LANDSCAPE COULD BE NOT SIMPLY A THREAT BUT THAT IT COULD BE A REWARD. IT COULD BE AN AESTHETIC AND SOMETHING TO SAVE, SOMETHING TO CHERISH. AND THAT WAS BRAND NEW. THE WILD LANDSCAPE HAD ALWAYS BEEN THE ENEMY.

HE WAS THE NUMBER ONE PHOTOGRAPHER THERE. AND WHAT MADE HIM UNUSUAL WAS A SENSIBILITY TO HIS OWN PLACE. THERE WAS NOTHING FUNDAMENTALLY RADICAL ABOUT HIS TECHNICAL APPROACH. HE WAS A PHOTOGRAPHER OF HIS TIME. Kmetz: A PHOTOGRAPHER OF HIS TIME. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN ? IF ANYBODY WOULD KNOW IT'S SOCIETY CURATOR, NICOLETTE BROMBERG IN CHARGE OF PROCESSING THE THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF GLASS-PLATE NEGATIVES AND PRINTS IN THE BENNETT COLLECTION. WITH A WET PLATE YOU CAN'T GO TO THE STORE AND BUY YOUR NEGATIVE. YOU HAVE TO MAKE IT. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BUY A ROLL OF FILM. NO. YOU HAVE TO DO THIS WHILE YOU'RE ON THE SITE. YOU CAN'T DO IT BEFORE YOU GO. YOU TAKE THE WHOLE PLATE... THE WHOLE PLATE, AND DIP IT INTO THE SILVER SOLUTION. AND YOU MUST DO THAT IN THE DARK. YOU HAVE TO CARRY ALL YOUR EQUIPMENT WITH YOU ALL YOUR CHEMICALS WITH YOU. AND ONCE YOU'VE COATED THE PLATE YOU PUT THAT INTO YOUR PLATE HOLDER. YOU QUICKLY PUT THAT INTO YOUR CAMERA. YOU GO OUT AND YOU TAKE THE PHOTOGRAPH. THEN YOU COME BACK AND YOU DEVELOP IT. ALL BEFORE THIS DRIES OUT. HE'S DOING ALL OF THIS OUT IN THE LANDSCAPE ? THAT'S RIGHT. HE'S DRAGGING ALL THIS STUFF OUT INTO THE LANDSCAPE. IN SOME PHOTOGRAPHS, WE SEE HIM IN THE BOAT. YOU CAN SEE THIS KIND OF TENT-LIKE THING. THAT'S ALL HIS EQUIPMENT AND THE MATERIALS HE NEEDS TO MAKE THESE WET PLATES. WHAT DOES A GLASS PLATE LOOK LIKE A DEVELOPED GLASS PLATE ? WELL, LET ME SHOW YOU. WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED THIS IS WHAT A GLASS PLATE LOOKS LIKE. WE HAVE VARIOUS SIZES HERE... THESE ARE NICE. BENNETT WORKED IN DIFFERENT SIZES. WOULD YOU NEED A DIFFERENT CAMERA FOR EACH SIZE ? YES, YOU WOULD. THIS IS AN 18 x 22 NEGATIVE, THE LARGEST HE WORKED WITH. WHY WOULD YOU WANT SOMETHING THAT BIG ? WHEN YOU MAKE YOUR PRINT, YOU CONTACT PRINT IT WHICH MEANS YOU MUST LAY THE NEGATIVE ONTO THE PIECE OF PAPER. THEY DID NOT HAVE ENLARGERS AT THAT TIME. SO, IF YOU WANT A LARGE PRINT YOU HAVE TO MAKE A LARGE NEGATIVE. I WANT TO SHOW YOU SOMETHING REALLY SPECTACULAR. THIS IS ONE OF THE PANORAMAS THAT BENNETT MADE. WOW ! IT'S QUITE SPECTACULAR. THIS PHOTOGRAPH IS ONE CONTINUOUS PHOTOGRAPH. AND IT'S MADE FROM USING THREE OF THOSE LARGE NEGATIVES THAT I SHOWED YOU. IT'S REALLY VERY DIFFICULT TO DO. SO, IN A WORLD WHERE THEY DIDN'T HAVE DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY THIS IS QUITE AN ACCOMPLISHMENT. THEY WOULD HANG THIS IN THE RAILROAD STATION. AND PEOPLE WOULD GO, "OH, LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL SCENERY. I'D LIKE TO GO SEE THAT PLACE." OF COURSE, IT WOULD BE SORT OF AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR PEOPLE TO COME TO THE DELLS AND SEE THE ROCK FORMATIONS THAT WERE THERE.

Szarkowski: ONE COULD ALSO SAY THAT BENNETT WAS A SHILL FOR THE TOURIST BUSINESS AND THE RAILROAD INDUSTRY. AND OF COURSE HE WAS.  I MEAN, THAT'S NOTHING NEW FOR ARTISTS. IT'S LIKE SAYING THAT MICHELANGELO WORKED FOR THE POPE. WELL, WHO WAS HE TO WORK FOR ?

THE STEREO WAS, TO A LARGE DEGREE AN ECONOMIC MAINSTAY OF PHOTOGRAPHERS OF THAT TIME, LIKE BENNETT BECAUSE PEOPLE LOVED THEM AND THEY HAD THEIR STEREO VIEWER. WHEN YOU LOOKED AT A STEREO, THE PROPER RESPONSE WAS "WOW !" THIS IS ONE OF BENNETT'S CAMERAS. WOW, LOOK AT THAT. THIS IS A STEREO CAMERA. YOU NOTICE THAT IT HAS TWO LENSES WHICH IS MEANT TO IMITATE OUR HUMAN VISION. AND WHICH ACTUALLY IS THREE DIMENSIONAL. IT'S VERY INTERESTING BECAUSE WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IS TWO IMAGES WHICH LOOKS LIKE THIS. YOU GET TO SEE TWO IMAGES OF THE SAME SCENE AT ONCE. WHEN YOU'RE READY TO LOOK AT THIS, YOU'D HAVE A VIEWER. AND YOU PUT THIS IN THE VIEWER, LIKE SO. IT'S THOSE PROTECTIVE SLEEVES... THE PROTECTIVE SLEEVES. YOU CAN MOVE THIS UP AND BACK TO BE ABLE TO ACTUALLY LOOK AT IT IN FOCUS TO MAKE IT FIT WITH YOUR VISION. OH, WOW ! YOU CAN MOVE IT FORWARD OR BACKWARD. WHAT YOU SEE IS A THREE-DIMENSIONAL QUALITY. YOU SURE DO.

Will: HE WOULD HAVE A RACK FOR HIS GLASS PLATE NEGATIVES. HE WOULD BE IN HERE WITH HIS ARMS STUCK INSIDE. Temmer: IT WOULD'VE BEEN HOT AND STINKY. THERE WOULD'VE BEEN MOSQUITOES. HE DESERVED BATTLE PAY FOR SOME OF THE STUFF THAT HE DID. Will: AND THESE WILL ALL BE PART OF THE EXHIBIT ? Temmer: CORRECT. HOW OLD ARE THE BASKETS ? THEY'RE PROBABLY ABOUT 100 YEARS OLD. WOULD THEY HAVE BEEN PRODUCED LOCALLY ? YES. EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING IN THAT FRONT ROOM IS REALLY GOING TO LOOK NICE. THERE'S AN OLD POSTCARD RACK. OH, YEAH. Temmer: THE FRONT SALES ROOM IS GOING TO BE VERY RICH AND ORNATE. OUR FURNISHING PLAN IS FANTASTIC. BENNETT SOLD HIS STEREO CARDS IN THIS 13-FOOT-LONG CASE THAT HELD THOUSANDS OF THEM.

WE'VE GOT BEADWORK AND RIBBONWORK. BENNETT HAD A LOT OF NATIVE AMERICAN ARTIFACTS. ONE OF HIS FIRST DIARY ENTRIES FROM WISCONSIN WAS THAT HE WENT THROUGH THE SWAMPS AND THE HILLS AND CAME UPON A HO-CHUNK-- OR AS THEY CALLED THEM, A WINNEBAGO ENCAMPMENT. AND HE WAS FASCINATED WITH THEIR CULTURE HIS ENTIRE LIFE. AS WITH ALL, YOU KNOW, HUMAN RELATIONS-- WAS HE ALWAYS JUST AND HONEST AND FAIR ? PROBABLY NOT, I CAN'T TELL YOU. BUT DID HE SEEM TO HAVE MORE APPRECIATION FOR ANOTHER CULTURE THAN PEOPLE OF HIS DAY ? I THINK SO. MOST PEOPLE IN THE LATE 19th CENTURY THOUGHT THAT THE NATIVE AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE WAS DYING. AND HE WAS TRYING TO PRESERVE SOME OF IT. THERE'S AN IMAGE OF A WOMAN WHO'S PREPARING AND TANNING A HIDE. AND YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE TOOLS THAT PEOPLE USED IN EVERYDAY LIFE-- LIFE WAYS, FOOD WAYS, AS WELL. THERE ARE PICTURES THAT WE ARE BASING A MODEL ON THAT WE ARE PUTTING IN THE DISPLAY. SO, I BELIEVE HE WAS MAKING A CONCERTED EFFORT TO USE THIS NEW MEDIUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY TO REALLY CAPTURE VANISHING WAYS OF LIFE. NOW, OF COURSE, THE HO-CHUNK HAVE NOT VANISHED. THEY'RE A THRIVING COMMUNITY, YET TODAY. Kmetz: IT'S ONE OF THOSE IRONIES OF HISTORY THAT THE CONTINUED PRESENCE OF THE HO-CHUNK IN THE DELLS IS PARTLY THE RESULT OF THE TOURISTS THE HO-CHUNK THEMSELVES HELPED ATTRACT TO THIS PLACE THAT WAS ONCE THEIRS. Will: THE POPULAR STAND ROCK CEREMONIAL ALLOWED THE HO-CHUNK TO SHARE THEIR CULTURE AND TRADITIONS. THE VILLAGES THE PERFORMERS AND THEIR FAMILIES LIVED IN BECAME ATTRACTIONS, AS WELL. THE PHOTOGRAPHERS OF THE BENNETT STUDIO WERE RIGHT THERE TO DOCUMENT IT. Kmetz: I VISITED THE SITE OF ONE OF THOSE VILLAGES-- NOW VANISHED-- WITH SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO FONDLY REMEMBER THEIR SUMMERS THERE.

WHEN DID YOU COME HERE ? WHEN DID SUMMER START FOR YOU ? USUALLY ABOUT-- RIGHT ABOUT NOW. ABOUT NOW, PEOPLE WOULD COME AND START PUTTING UP THE WIGWAMS. THE VILLAGE WOULD BE OPEN FIRST AND THEN STAND ROCK WOULD START RIGHT AFTER THAT. SO, IT WAS REALLY FUN. OH, THIS IS SO SAD. OH, NO. BECAUSE THE VILLAGES WERE UP ON THE HILLSIDE ALL ALONG HERE.

SEE HOW YOU CAN SEE PART OF THE TRAIL THAT WAS-- WELL, YOU CAN TELL WHERE THE TOURISTS USED TO WALK. THIS ASPHALT TRAIL WAS PUT IN FRONT OF THE HOUSES. AND THE TOURISTS WOULD WALK ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE VILLAGE. THIS WAS WHERE MY MOM HAD HER BEADWORK STAND. AT ONE TIME, WE OWNED SEVEN MILLION ACRES HERE IN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN. SO, WHEN THE NORMAL PERSON THINKS OF THEIR HOME AS BEING A THREE-BEDROOM RANCH YOU KNOW, OURS IS MUCH MORE BIGGER BECAUSE THIS WHOLE AREA WAS OUR HOME. AND WE THINK OF IT IN THAT SENSE. BUT WE ARE SO RICH IN CULTURE AND OUR HERITAGE OF WHO WE ARE AND WHERE WE COME FROM. SO, IT'S REALLY NICE TO SEE THOSE PICTURES TO SEE MY GREAT-GRANDFATHER AND MY GRANDFATHER. THEY WERE PART OF OUR HISTORY AND THE COMMUNITY LIFE THAT WE HAD IN THE VILLAGES. I GUESS THAT'S WHY I LIKED IT. YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I HAVE REAL HAPPY MEMORIES BECAUSE WE ALL CAME TOGETHER EVERY SUMMER AND LIVED AS A VILLAGE. AND WE WERE SAFE. THE ONLY SHOOTINGS THAT HAPPENED WERE PICTURES THAT WERE SHOT OF US, YOU KNOW. TO HAVE FELLOWSHIP ALL SUMMER LONG WE DIDN'T HAVE TO GO ANYWHERE, THAT WAS OUR FUN. THEN, AFTER THE CEREMONIAL COMING BACK TOGETHER TO GATHER FOR A BIRTHDAY PARTY-- AND KNOWING THAT THEY'RE GOING TO COME OVER AND WE'RE GOING TO SING THE TRADITIONAL SONGS THE SOCIAL SONGS, THE TWO-STEP SONGS. YOU KNOW, THERE'S ALL KINDS OF SOCIAL DANCES THAT YOU CAN DO THAT KEEPS YOU FAMILIAR WITH ALL OF YOUR RELATIVES. EATING TOGETHER, BREAKING BREAD AND STORIES THAT THE ELDERS WOULD TELL... I REMEMBER HEARING STORIES ABOUT THE RUNNERS THAT CAME BETWEEN THE VILLAGES TO DELIVER MESSAGES. AND THAT'S WHERE I THINK THOSE TRAILS COME FROM-- THE TRAILS THAT WERE PUT ALONG THE RIVER JUST BY OUR PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE ROADS TO THEM. AND THE DIFFERENT ROCKS-- PROBABLY CAME FROM HO-CHUNK PEOPLE FOR THE NAMES THAT THEY GAVE THEM AND WHAT SIGNIFICANCE THEY HAD TO THE PEOPLE AND THE VILLAGES THAT WERE ALONG THE RIVER HERE. THIS IS WHERE I LEARNED TO SWIM. IS IT ? MY DAD TAUGHT ME HOW TO SWIM. MY GRANDMOTHER USED TO COME WITH US SOMETIMES. SHE'D DO LAUNDRY HERE. SHE'D DO HER LAUNDRY AND SIT IN THE WATER WITH US AND BRING ALONG A PICNIC LUNCH... THAT'S THE LEDGE WE USED TO ALL SWIM OFF FROM WHERE YOU CAN STAND IN FRONT OF IT AND THE WATER IS ABOVE YOUR WAIST AND THERE'S A LEDGE YOU CAN WALK ON. I MEAN, I ALWAYS MARVEL AT OUR PAST THAT NOBODY EVERY DROWNED. WE WERE ALL GOOD SWIMMERS.

YOU LIVED ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE VILLAGE. I ALWAYS HAD TO GO ACROSS BY THE... I WONDER IF OUR PARENTS DID THAT ON PURPOSE ! PROBABLY. MAYBE TOGETHER WE WERE TOO MUCH TROUBLE !

§ §

OH, I LOVE THAT ! OH, WOW, IT'S OLD ABE ! I BET THAT WAS A POPULAR STEREOVIEW. WELL, I HAVE TO CONGRATULATE YOU ON THE FACT THAT I THINK YOU'VE JUST ABOUT MADE IT. YOU'LL HAVE ALL THIS OUT OF HERE, I PRESUME. NO, ACTUALLY, WE'RE GOING TO PUT IN ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE MORE OF THESE... Dr. George L. Vogt: IT REPRESENTS THE JOINING TOGETHER OF STATE GOVERNMENT, A VIBRANT COMMUNITY BUSINESS PEOPLE, THE HO-CHUNK NATION HISTORIANS AND ORDINARY CITIZENS IN A CONCERTED EFFORT TO SAVE A TREASURE FROM OUR SHARED PAST. Dyer Reese: FIRST, I GUESS, WE SHOULD THANK H.H. BENNETT, MY GRANDFATHER FOR TAKING ALL THESE BEAUTIFUL PICTURES AND PROMOTING THE DELLS. AFTER HIS DEATH HIS WIFE, EVALINE AND THEN THEIR DAUGHTERS, MIRIAM AND MY MOTHER, RUTH DYER, CONTINUED THAT SAME WORK. NEXT, MY HUSBAND OLIVER, AND I TOOK OVER ABOUT 50 YEARS AGO. AND SOMEHOW, IT DOESN'T SEEM VERY LONG AGO BUT WE DECIDED THAT SOME DAY WE'D LIKE TO RETIRE OR DIE. 
( laughter )
 
SO, WE STARTED LOOKING AROUND FOR A RECIPIENT. AND THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY WITH WHOM THIS STUDIO HAD WORKED QUITE CLOSELY WAS INTERESTED. SO, WE THOUGHT THEY'D BE THE IDEAL CUSTODIAN. Temmer: EVERYONE SHOULD COME OUT OF HERE KNOWING SOMETHING A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THEMSELVES. MANY MUSEUM'S HISTORIC SITES TELL YOU STORIES. THAT STORY MIGHT BE ABOUT YOUR GRANDFATHER OR ABOUT SOMEONE YOU KNOW. BUT BY DEFINITION PEOPLE EITHER LIVE IN WISCONSIN DELLS OR THEY COME TO VISIT HERE. EITHER WAY, YOU'RE GOING TO LEARN ABOUT WHAT YOU DO WHY YOU LIVE HERE OR DECIDED TO VISIT HERE.

Will: WE CAN'T TALK RIGHT NOW, OR WE'LL SPOIL THE PHOTO. Kmetz: BUT REMEMBER, THE BENNETT STUDIO IS WAITING HERE FOR YOUR VISIT ALONG WITH ALL THE OTHER HISTORIC SITES AROUND THE STATE. Will: JOIN US AGAIN NEXT TIME FOR WISCONSIN STORIES.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WISCONSIN STORIES AND THE H.H. BENNETT STUDIO VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT: wisconsinstories.org

MAJOR FUNDING FOR WISCONSIN STORIES IS PROVIDED BY THE MEAD WITTER FOUNDATION, INC. WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WISCONSIN. ADDITIONAL FUNDING IS PROVIDED BY THE HALBERT AND ALICE KADISH FOUNDATION PHILIP J. AND ELIZABETH B. HENDRICKSON AND AN ADVISED FUND OF THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF SOUTHERN WISCONSIN.