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Show i-;;: ,1.::, .-rT '? " ;W gi:lyf;ll vtri-tfy ... P f Among the often frenetic and sometimes startling efforts in the development of regional tourist areas to satisfy the U.S. vacationist's yen to see new and strange places, the Midwest's Wisconsin Dells is refreshing as a spot where natural beauty has not yet been sacrificed to garish display. Located in the south-central south-central section of the state, the Dells are formed as the Wisconsin Wis-consin river cuts deep into sandstone to form a seven-mile canyon between steep rock walls. A Civil war veteran, H. H. Bennett, started publicizing the region in 1870 with his "wet plate" camera studies. Now, when tourists swarm each summer, the Dells abound with somber, richly costumed Winnebago Indians who will pose for a man with a camera at the drop of a feather. Chief Yellow Thunder (left) is a case in point. I Y f : : it ' " " 1 ' ?v , 1 : ' " t s ' I ' ' ll 1 Stand Rock is the trademark of the Dells. It is a 50-foot pillar separated from the main cliff by o space of six feet. The top is a slab of sandstone 20 feet in diameter. One of H. H. Bennett's first action photos shows his son leaping from cliff to stone. Now, Bennett's granddaughter supervises super-vises as her dog "Watch" does the same trick. There's a safety net in the event of accident- The town of Wisconsin Dells lives on the tourist trade, and the Dells have a special lure for artists, cameramen and geologists. r I s r , 4)1 ' av " 1 x , , i I F s ' i 1 I, .'1 Tourist boats have been making the canyon trip since 1873 and are still hard at it. The colorful paddle wheel steamer Winnebago (left, above) plies the narrow stream regularly. Indian legends are associated with almost every section of the Dells. Joan Cros-ley Cros-ley is shown (right, above) as she investigates in-vestigates the story of "The Cave of the Darkened Waters." Chimney Rock (right) complete with Indian chief and girl in bathing suit, offers a variety of picture possibilities to the tourist-photographer. |