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.