In the mid-nineteenth century, traveling for recreation became increasingly popular in the United States. Advancements in transportation, especially railroads and steamships, coupled with romantic conceptions of the nation's landscape helped encourage the growth of domestic tourism. People who would have earlier balked at the inconvenience of traveling began to take journeys for spiritual renewal, physical regeneration, freedom from social constraints, or simply to "see the sights." By the middle of the century, many enterprising Americans were ready to serve the needs of this new class called tourists.
As industrialization and urbanization transformed American life, many middle and upper class Americans... more...
| A trip to Wisconsin Dells in 1879 |
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| From sport to relaxation in Northern Wisconsin resorts, 1926 |
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| Door County in 1942: land of "sunshine, fruit, and water" |
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| La Crosse's first motor-bike, 1900 |
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| A survey of past and present hotels in Wisconsin, 1898 |
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| A trip through the Dells in 1849 |
| An Aqualand water ski used for slalom skiing |
| The Pneumatic, a progressive monthly paper for cyclists |
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| A 1910 automobile travel guide to Wisconsin |
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| A travel guide to healthful resorts in the upper Midwest, 1875 |
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| Official guidebook for the Wisconsin Centennial Exposition, 1948 |
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| Stories from Wisconsin's circuses, 1850-1908 |
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| A tourist booklet from Wisconsin Dells, ca. 1930 |
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| Fly-fishing in the Northwoods, 1875-1877. |
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| An illustrated guide for tourists to Wisconsin Dells, 1875 |
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| A fisherman's guide to Northern Wisconsin |
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| A Dells Tourist Brochure, 1932 |
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| A Tourist Brochure for Shawano and the Menominee Indian Reservation, ca. 1925 |
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| John Nolen drafts a plan for a state park system in 1909 |
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| A folding brochure for a Wisconsin Dells resort, ca. 1930 |
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| A 1923 brochure for Ross's Teal Lake Lodge near Hayward |
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| A Tourist Brochure for Marinette Co., ca. 1923 |
| Promotional material created for the 1948 Wisconsin Centennial Exposition |
| Increase Lapham examining a meteorite, ca. 1868 |
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| Pictures of tourist hotels and activities, 1885-1939 |
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| Photographs of the Starlite Drive-in in Green Bay, 1959 |
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| Tourist Views of La Crosse, ca. 1892 |
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| Images of the circus in Wisconsin |
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| The photographs of H.H. Bennett |
| Final reports of the Wisconsin Centennial Exposition organizing committees, 1948 |
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| Four Madison Teenagers Paddle the Wisconsin, Mississippi and Rock Rivers |
| Indianapolis Outing Club in Oneida County |
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| Union House Hotel in De Pere |
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| H.H. Bennett's studio in Wisconsin Dells |
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| Forest Lodge in Namekagon |
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| Winter quarters for the Ringling Brothers Circus |
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| Eagle River Stadium, Wisconsin's hockey capitol |
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| Resorts along the Upper Mississippi River, ca. 1890 |
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| Wisconsin Blue Books |
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| The imaginary landcapes of Wisconsin Dells tourist attractions |
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| Postcards from the "miracle" springs in Waukesha |
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| Automobiles transform the Wisconsin Dells |
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| A bird's-eye-view of lakes and resorts in Waukesha County, ca. 1890 |
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| Transforming the natural world for tourism in the Dells |
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| Historic postcards of Milwaukee |
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| Images of Lake Geneva, the "Newport of the West" |
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| Notes on Bent's Camp, in Vilas County, 1906. |
