City: Wisconsin Dells, WI

Category: Tours & Attractions

Address: 215 Broadway

Description: Henry Hamilton Bennett was born in 1843 and his interest in photography didn’t come until after a Civil War injury left his right hand crippled. In 1868 he began to shoot the Dells. You might say what Ansel Adams is to Yosemite and the American West, Bennett is to the Wisconsin Dells. His photos told a story of a place and did much to publicize beauty and drama of the Dells beyond Wisconsin’s borders. The photo studio he opened back in 1865 remained in the family for several generations. The Wisconsin State Historical Society restored the studio and curates the collection of prints, negatives, and classic photography equipment. Probably the most famous of the photos is of one of the Dells’ most famous sights. Stand Rock is a narrow pedestal of sculpted sandstone with a wider flat rock ledge balanced at its top. Today trained dogs jump the five-foot gap from the nearby cliff, but it was Ashley, the son of H. H. Bennett, who made the leap that was first captured on film, back in 1888. The studio is open daily from May 1 to Nov 1. An admission fee applies. This is wheelchair accessible.