Wisconsin Dells is a city in

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, straddling four counties: Adams, Columbia,

Juneau The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality and the se ...

, and Sauk. A popular

Midwestern The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of the United States. I ...

tourist Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mo ...

destination, the city forms an area known as "The Dells" with the nearby village of

Lake Delton Lake Delton is a man-made freshwater lake in Sauk County in central Wisconsin. For much of 2008, it was a mostly empty lake basin after a portion of a county highway that forms part of the dike wall eroded on June 9, 2008, under the pressure of ...

. The Dells is home to several

water parks A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...

and tourist attractions. The city takes its name from the

Dells of the Wisconsin River The Dells of the Wisconsin River, also called the Wisconsin Dells (from Old English �dæle��, modern English “dale”), meaning “valley”, is a 5-mile (8-km) gorge on the Wisconsin River in south-central Wisconsin, USA. It is noted for it ...

, a scenic, glacial-formed

gorge A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...

that features

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

formations along the banks of the

Wisconsin River The Wisconsin River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At approximately 430 miles (692 km) long, it is the state's longest river. The river's name, first recorded in 1673 by Jacques Marquette as "Meskousi ...

. It is about northwest of

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

, the state's capital city. Wisconsin Dells has a population of 2,942 people as of the 2020 census.

History

The natural formation of the Dells was named by Early French explorers as , a

rapid Rapids are sections of a river where the river bed has a relatively steep gradient, causing an increase in water velocity and turbulence. Rapids are hydrological features between a ''run'' (a smoothly flowing part of a stream) and a ''cascade''. ...

s or

narrows A narrows or narrow (used interchangeably but usually in the plural form), is a restricted land or water passage. Most commonly a narrows is a strait, though it can also be a water gap. A narrows may form where a stream passes through a tilted ...

on a river in French. Wisconsin Dells is located on ancestral

Ho-Chunk The Ho-Chunk, also known as Hoocągra or Winnebago (referred to as ''Hotúŋe'' in the neighboring indigenous Iowa-Otoe language), are a Siouan-speaking Native American people whose historic territory includes parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iow ...

and Menominee land. The Ho-Chunk name for Wisconsin Dells is , meaning "rocks close together". According to Indian agent Joseph Montfort Street, the Sauk leader

Black Hawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to: Animals * Black Hawk (horse), a Morgan horse that lived from 1833 to 1856 * Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus'' * Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii'' * Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus ur ...

sought refuge with Ho-Chunks near the Dells of the Wisconsin River at the end of the

Black Hawk War The Black Hawk War was a conflict between the United States and Native Americans led by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis (Fox), and Kickapoos, known as the "British Band", crosse ...

of 1832 before surrendering to the United States, but more recent research has argued that this was a mistranslation of the true location. The U.S. acquired the land in treaties with the Ho-Chunk nation in 1837 and with the Menominee in 1848, but Ho-Chunk people who resisted the U.S. policy of

Indian removal Indian removal was the United States government policy of forced displacement of self-governing tribes of Native Americans from their ancestral homelands in the eastern United States to lands west of the Mississippi Riverspecifically, to a de ...

continued to return to the area and eventually acquired small homesteads. The city of Wisconsin Dells was founded in 1856 by the Wisconsin Hydraulic Company, a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

-building and real estate investment business. The town was originally named ''Kilbourn City'' for Byron Kilbourn, the president of the La Crosse & Milwaukee Railroad Company, which was then preparing to build a railroad across the

to connect

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

and

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census w ...

. The railroad's route caused great local controversy. Boosters and speculators had anticipated the river crossing two miles downriver, where they had established the town of

Newport, Wisconsin Newport is a town in Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 681 at the 2000 census. The ghost town of Moe Settlement was located in the town. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total are ...

, and attracted around 1,500 residents by 1855. When the railroad instead completed a slightly more northern route in 1857, Newport rapidly turned into a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

as its residents relocated to the site of the railroad bridge, bringing many buildings and even a church from the earlier town to reassemble in Kilbourn City. In 1859, lumbermen destroyed the Wisconsin Hydraulic Company's new dam at Kilbourn City because it blocked the flow of

timber rafts Timber rafting is a method of transporting felled tree trunks by tying them together to make rafts, which are then drifted or pulled downriver, or across a lake or other body of water. It is arguably, after log driving, the second cheapest mean ...

down the river. This led the company's main creditor, Byron Kilbourn, to foreclose on its property and take ownership of most of the city's real estate.

Tourism

Kilbourn City quickly became a popular travel destination in the Midwest due to the scenery of the

and the ready railroad access. In 1856, entrepreneur Leroy Gates began taking tourists on boat tours of the Wisconsin Dells and promoting the town to railroad travelers. These tours were given using wooden rowboats until 1873 when two excursion steamers, the ''Modocawanda'' and the ''Dell Queen'' launched. Gates also established a photography studio in the city, which he sold to photographer H. H. Bennett in 1865. Over the following decades, Bennett took many photos of the sandstone formations in the dells, including

stereoscopic Stereoscopy (also called stereoscopics, or stereo imaging) is a technique for creating or enhancing the depth perception, illusion of depth in an image by means of stereopsis for binocular vision. The word ''stereoscopy'' derives . Any stere ...

views, as well as portraits of local Ho-Chunk people in Indian costume. Prints of Bennett's photographs were distributed across the United States and played a large role in promoting Kilbourn City as an exotic destination for sightseers. The H. H. Bennett Studio is now a historic site operated by the

Wisconsin Historical Society The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of N ...

. In 1909, the Kilbourn Dam was completed across the Wisconsin River to generate

hydroelectricity Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is Electricity generation, electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other Renewabl ...

, over the protests of people such as H. H. Bennett, separating the Dells into the Upper and Lower Dells. It is now owned by Alliant Energy. In 1928 Mr. Clinton Berry established Berry's Dells airport. It occupied sixty acres and was designated on government maps as beacon No. 19. Berry built the airport to carry visitors to the Dells from the surrounding metropolitan areas. Kilbourn City shortened its name to ''Kilbourn'' in 1895 and then changed its name to ''Wisconsin Dells'' in 1931, identifying itself with the famous

natural landscape A natural landscape is the original landscape that exists before it is acted upon by human culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the kn ...

of the Dells of the Wisconsin River. In 1952, a new traveling performance from

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

called " Tommy Bartlett's Thrill Show" came to Lake Delton on its second stop. Following the show's huge success in the city, its owner, Tommy Bartlett, chose to keep the performance permanently in Wisconsin Dells. To promote the show, Bartlett gave away

bumper stickers A bumper sticker is an adhesive label or sticker with a message, intended to be attached to the bumper of an automobile and to be read by the occupants of other vehicles—although they are often stuck onto other objects. Most bumper stickers are ...

advertising his thrill show and the city, effectively spreading word about the area across the nation. That tourist attraction closed permanently in 2020. Soon more attractions followed to serve the ever-increasing tourists, along with many hotels, shops, and restaurants. Today, a large number of

are central to the local economy. Lake Delton, Wisconsin Dells's sister city to the south, gradually became popular as the Dells attractions spread out.

The Wonder Spot The Wonder Spot was a tourist attraction located off US Route 12 in Lake Delton, Wisconsin from 1949 to 2006. A popular side trip for visitors to nearby Wisconsin Dells, the Wonder Spot was advertised as a place "where the laws of natural gravity ...

was founded in Lake Delton in 1952, and remained open until 2006.George Hesselberg.
The Wonder Spot’ to disappear: Old-school Dells tourist attraction closing for good
. ''La Crosse Tribune''. January 12, 2007. Retrieved on June 5, 2009.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. According to the

Wisconsin Department of Administration The Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) is an agency of the Wisconsin state government which provides a range of services and programs, from operations, technology, and logistical support for the state, to assistance programs for low-inco ...

, on January 19, 2004 the city annexed land from the Town of Lyndon in Juneau County, thus expanding the city to include area in four counties. It is mostly located in Columbia County.

Climate

Wisconsin Dells has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...

. On July 13, 1936, the temperature in Wisconsin Dells reached , the highest ever recorded in the state of

Demographics

Because it straddles multiple counties, Wisconsin Dells is part of several

Core Based Statistical Area A core-based statistical area (CBSA) is a U.S. geographic area defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that consists of one or more counties (or equivalents) anchored by an urban center of at least 10,000 people plus adjacent countie ...

s (CBSAs). The Columbia County portion of the city is part of the

Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area The Madison, Wisconsin, metropolitan area, also known as Greater Madison, is the metropolitan area surrounding the city of Madison, Wisconsin. Madison is the state capital of Wisconsin and is Wisconsin's second largest city (after Milwaukee), and t ...

, while the Sauk County portion is part of the

Baraboo Baraboo is a city in the Midwest and the county seat of Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The largest city in the county, Baraboo is the principal city of the Baraboo Micropolitan Statistical Area. Its 2020 population was 12,556. It is situ ...

Micropolitan Statistical Area. The Adams and Juneau county portions are not part of any metropolitan or micropolitan area.

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, the population was 2,942. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 1,512 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 85.2%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 2.9%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.3% Native American, 0.4%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 5.6% from other races, and 4.5% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 12.4%

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. Of the 2020 total population of 2,942, the population by county was: *Adams County: 105 *Columbia County: 2449 *Juneau County: 4 *Sauk County: 384

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 2,678 people, 1,148 households, and 659 families residing in the city. The

was . There were 1,485 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.5%

, 0.7%

, 1.8% Native American, 0.8%

, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 3.3% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races.

of any race were 7.4% of the population. There were 1,148 households, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 42.6% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age in the city was 40.3 years. 20.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.4% were from 25 to 44; 26.6% were from 45 to 64; and 17.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.6% male and 50.4% female. Of the 2010 total population of 2,678, the population by county was: *Adams County: 61 *Columbia County: 2,440 *Juneau County: 2 *Sauk County: 175

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,418 people, 1,019 households, and 609 families residing in the city. The

was 583.1 people per square mile (225.0/km²). There were 1,178 housing units at an average density of 284.1 per square mile (109.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.56%

, 0.37%

, 0.87% Native American, 0.25%

, 0.33% from other races, and 0.62% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.70% of the population. There were 1,019 households, out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were

living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.93. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.0% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $35,699, and the median income for a family was $46,304. Males had a median income of $29,830 versus $22,553 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $23,447. About 4.0% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Tourism is the major contributor to the economy of Wisconsin Dells. The Dells area has many

indoor Indoor(s) may refer to: *the interior of a building *Indoor environment, in building science, traditionally includes the study of indoor thermal environment, indoor acoustic environment, indoor light environment, and indoor air quality *Built envi ...

and outdoor

waterpark A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...

s, proclaiming itself the "Waterpark Capital of the World". Other attractions include boat tours, zip-lining,

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

courses,

mini golf Miniature golf, also known as minigolf, mini-putt, crazy golf, or putt-putt, is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest number of points. It is played ...

, go-kart tracks, water sports, horseback riding, a water ski show known as the Tommy Bartlett's Thrill Show (now closed), museums, amusement parks, and a casino. Most attractions are located on the Strip, otherwise known as the Wisconsin Dells Parkway. Accommodations range from economical

motel A motel, also known as a motor hotel, motor inn or motor lodge, is a hotel designed for motorists, usually having each room entered directly from the parking area for motor vehicles rather than through a central lobby. Entering dictionaries ...

s to

RV park A recreational vehicle park (RV park) or caravan park is a place where people with recreational vehicles can stay overnight, or longer, in allotted spaces known as "sites" or "campsites". They are also referred to as campgrounds, though a true ...

s to chain hotels to themed

resort A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that tries to provide most of a vacationer's wants, such as food, drink, swimming, lodging, sports, entertainment, and shopping, on the premises. The term ''resort ...

s featuring indoor and outdoor waterparks and other amenities. Amphibious

DUKW The DUKW (colloquially known as Duck) is a six-wheel-drive amphibious modification of the -ton CCKW trucks used by the U.S. military during World War II and the Korean War. Designed by a partnership under military auspices of Sparkman & Step ...

vehicles called "ducks" began offering

duck tour Duck tours are tours that take place on purpose-built Amphibious vehicle#Buses, amphibious tour buses and (modified) surplus amphibious military vehicles, like DUKWs (''"Ducks"'') and LARC-Vs. They are often offered as tourist attractions in ha ...

s to tourists in Wisconsin Dells in 1946. The tours visit wilderness trails and enter nearby

and the Wisconsin River. One company, Original Wisconsin Ducks, has more than 90 vehicles and is the largest operator of duck tours in the United States. Mayor Brian Landers stated, "Many of our own residents take duck rides. I've taken duck rides myself". Since the late 1970s, the Dells area (Wisconsin Dells and Lake Delton) has become a water park mecca.

Noah's Ark Waterpark Noah's Ark (officially Noah's Ark Family Park Inc.) is the largest outdoor water park in the United States. It features 51 water slides and dozens of various attractions. The park is located in the village of Lake Delton, Wisconsin. History In ...

opened in Lake Delton in 1979 and has become the largest and the eighth most visited water park in the U.S. Other outdoor amusement and water parks followed, featuring water slides, mini golf, roller coasters, go-karts, and other attractions. The Polynesian Resort Hotel opened the United States' and the Dells area's first indoor waterpark in 1994. Since then, the number of combination resort/indoor waterparks in the Wisconsin Dells area has swelled, with each new indoor waterpark trying to have the latest innovations in waterslides and to be able to claim the title of America's largest park. The Big 5 Dells resorts with large indoor waterparks are the Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park,

Wilderness Territory Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort is a large water resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. It is one of the largest indoor waterpark complexes in the world with a combined size of . It is part of a chain of two resorts, the newer and smaller one being ...

Kalahari Resort Kalahari Resorts and Conventions is a water park resort chain with locations in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin; Sandusky, Ohio; Pocono Manor, Pennsylvania; and in Round Rock, Texas. Named for the Kalahari Desert in southern Africa, the resorts are hea ...

Chula Vista Resort Chula Vista Resort is a southwestern-themed waterpark resort in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. The resort is located on the Upper Dells of the Wisconsin River, north of downtown. History Chula Vista has been in existence since the late 19th century, ...

, and

Great Wolf Lodge Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

. Other smaller hotels with waterparks include the Atlantis Resort. In 2005, Big Chief Karts and Coasters merged with the former Family Land Waterpark and Treasure Island Hotel to create a large theme park on the border of Lake Delton and Wisconsin Dells, with a resort called Hotel Rome, an indoor waterpark, outdoor waterpark, theme park, and the area's first indoor theme park. The park, which has roller coasters, go-karts, and water slides, is called Mt. Olympus Water & Theme Park. The

Tanger Outlet Center Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc. ( ) is a real estate investment trust headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina that invests in shopping centers containing outlet stores in the United States and Canada. As of December 31, 2019, the comp ...

opened in 2006 near the Great Wolf Lodge, replacing the defunct Wisconsin Dells Greyhound Park, which opened in May 1990, but closed in 1996 due to heavy competition from the nearby Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells Bingo/Casino. Since Mt. Olympus opened the Parthenon Indoor Theme Park in 2006, two more indoor theme parks were constructed in the area: Knuckleheads outside the Tanger Complex in 2007, and Kalahari Resort in December 2008. New attractions being constructed include more indoor waterpark resorts, the Grand Cambrian Resort, and the Wedge Resort.

Media

Wisconsin Dells is served by a local newspaper, ''Wisconsin Dells Events'', and 2 local radio stations, WNNO and WDLS. The ''Wisconsin Dells Events'' is published by

Capital Newspapers Capital Newspapers is a partnership between Lee Enterprises and The Capital Times Company that operates 27 publications and several web sites in Wisconsin. The corporate name of the company is Madison Newspapers Inc. Capital Newspapers has near ...

, which publishes multiple newspapers in south central Wisconsin. WNNO-FM broadcasts at 106.9 MHz and covers an area 20 miles in radius centered on Wisconsin Dells. WDLS broadcasts on 900 AM.

Infrastructure

Buildings

* Kilbourn Public Library *

Wawbeek-Horace A.J. Upham House Wawbeek-Horace A.J. Upham House is located in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. History Horace Upham was a prominent Milwaukee-based lawyer and the son of Don A. J. Upham, a member of the legislature of the Wisconsin Territory and Mayor of Milwaukee ...

* Jacob Weber House

Transportation

Bus

Greyhound Lines Greyhound Lines, Inc. (commonly known as simply Greyhound) operates the largest intercity bus service in North America, including Greyhound Mexico. It also operates charter bus services, Amtrak Thruway services, commuter bus services, and pac ...

provides intrastate and interstate bus service to Wisconsin Dells on its Chicago - Milwaukee - Madison - Minneapolis route.

Rail

The '' Empire Builder'', operated by

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

, provides daily rail service from the Wisconsin Dells Amtrak station. The station was built in the 1980s in the style of the original station. Freight railroad service is provided by the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

under the

Soo Line Railroad The Soo Line Railroad is the primary United States railroad subsidiary of the Canadian Pacific Railway , one of seven U.S. Class I railroads, controlled through the Soo Line Corporation. Although it is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sa ...

umbrella.

Utilities

*Frontier Communications

Education

It is in the

Wisconsin Dells School District School District of Wisconsin Dells is a school district headquartered in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. Its territory includes sections of the counties of Adams, Columbia, Juneau, Marquette, and Sauk.Wisconsin Dells High School Wisconsin Dells High School is a high school in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. The only high school in the Wisconsin Dells School District, it serves the municipalities of Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, Dell Prairie, Dellona, Delton, Jackson, Lake Del ...

Notable people

* Belle Boyd, Confederate spy * Lynn N. Coapman, Wisconsin state representative *

Jack Flannery Jack Flannery (November 22, 1952 – April 6, 2010) was an American off-road racing driver who was active in the late 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Flannery won six short course off-road championships in Short-course Off-road Drivers Association (SODA) an ...

, CORR and

SODA Soda or SODA may refer to: Chemistry * Some chemical compounds containing sodium ** Sodium carbonate, washing soda or soda ash ** Sodium bicarbonate, baking soda ** Sodium hydroxide, caustic soda ** Sodium oxide, an alkali metal oxide * Sod ...

driver * Thomas Gillespie, Wisconsin state representative * Michael Griffin, U.S. representative *

Alanson Holly Alanson Holly (July 21, 1810September 15, 1882) was an Americans, American newspaper editor and Republican Party (United States), Republican politician. He served one term in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing western Columbia County, Wis ...

, Wisconsin state representative and newspaper editor *

Frank Kreyer Frank Kreyer (born May 8, 1970) is an American racing driver from Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. He has started in NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series and Busch Series. Racing career Kreyer began racing in half scale NASCAR cars in the Junior Cup series ...

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

driver * G. M. Marshall, Wisconsin state representative *

Jack B. Olson Jack Benjamin Olson (August 29, 1920 – July 3, 2003) was an American businessman, politician, and Republican from the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Early life Olson was born in Kilbourn (now Wisconsin Dells) in Columbia County, Wisconsin on Aug ...

, lieutenant governor of Wisconsin, businessman, and U.S. diplomat *

James H. Quinn James H. Quinn (June 23, 1857 – February 15, 1930) was an American jurist. Born in Kilbourn City, Wisconsin, Quinn moved with his parents to a farm in Blue Earth County, Minnesota in 1863. He graduated from an academy in Poynette, Wiscon ...

, Minnesota Supreme Court justice * Robert Schulz, jazz cornetist *

Yellow Thunder Yellow Thunder (c. 1774–1874), was a chief of the Ho-Chunk (or Winnebago) tribe. He signed two treaties with the United States in which his Ho-Chunk name was given as Wa-kun-cha-koo-kah and Waun-kaun-tshaw-zee-kau. In 1837, Yellow Thunder was par ...

chief

Gallery

Image:WisconsinDellsWisconsinDowntownWIS23WIS16WIS13US12.jpg, Lower Dells intersection between downtown and "The Strip" Image:WisconsinDellsPiratesCove.jpg, Pirate's Cove, a

miniature golf Miniature golf, also known as minigolf, mini-putt, crazy golf, or putt-putt, is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest number of points. It is played ...

business Image:WisconsinDellsWisconsinRollercoaster.jpg, Hades Rollercoaster at Mt. Olympus Image:TrojanHorseMt.OlympusWater&ThemePark.jpg, Trojan Horse go-kart track at Mt. Olympus Image:PoseidonsRageSurfPoolMt.OlympusWater&ThemePark.jpg, Poseidons Rage surf pool at Mt. Olympus Image:Wisconsin_Dells_-_Top_Secret.jpg, "Top Secret", an upside-down White House File:2009-0711-Dells-CH.jpg, Municipal Building File:Horace_A_J_Upham_House.jpg,

File:Jacob_Weber_House_Wisconsin_Dells.jpg, Jacob Weber House

Sister city

Wisconsin Dells has one

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inter ...

. * Iwaizumi-Cho (Japan) since 1990

Notes

References

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External links

* *Sanborn fire insurance maps
1885189219021909
{{authority control Cities in Adams County, Wisconsin Cities in Columbia County, Wisconsin Cities in Juneau County, Wisconsin Cities in Sauk County, Wisconsin Cities in Wisconsin Madison, Wisconsin, metropolitan statistical area Populated places established in 1857 1857 establishments in Wisconsin