Term: Crandall, George Humphrey 1869 - 1938

Definition: resort and hotel operator, b. Ixonia, Jefferson County. He moved to Wisconsin Dells in 1892. A leading figure in the development of the Dells, he began his career with the successful operation of the Crandall Hotel. Realizing that destruction of the scenic and natural aspects of the Dells would ruin its attraction as a resort area, he sought to preserve the region by purchasing and leasing large tracts of land. Through his policy of land purchase and reforestation, and by such devices as the Indian Ceremonial at Standing Rock, he helped to make the Dells a nationally famous tourist center and to prevent its complete commercialization. He was the owner and president of the Dells Boat Company. Madison Wis. State Journal, Mar. 5, 1938; Milwaukee Journal, Mar. 5, 1938; Wis. Dells Events, Mar. 10, 1938.