Wisconsin Dells through Four Decades of Film
By Jennifer Graham
Henry Hamilton Bennett, better known as H.H. Bennett documented the Wisconsin Dells through his camera lens and helped to make the Dells a famous tourist destination.
Jaws Of The Wisconsin Dells, 1894
Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. Panoramic view from shoreline of the Wisconsin River in the Wisconsin Dells By H.H. Bennett. View the original source document: WHI 64331.
A lesser known fact is that one of his daughters, Miriam Bennett was a prolific amateur filmmaker and continued her father’s tradition of documenting the Dells with imagery.
Studio Portrait of Miriam Bennett, ca. 1945
Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. Portrait of Miriam Bennett, photographed by her sister Ruth. View the original source document: WHI 79409.
Through generous donation from the Reese family, the Wisconsin Historical Society is home to 70 silent films created by Miriam Bennett between 1925 and 1965. Most of the films contain footage of family and friends, and Ho-Chunk people and various scenes of the Wisconsin Dells—downtown and along the Wisconsin River, in addition to family vacations in other parts of the country. Several films are short feature films and were directed by Miriam, including the 2009 National Film Registry choice, “A Study in Reds” (1932).
Screen shot from one of Miriam’s films.
Watching these films, one gets to look into the lives of Wisconsin families in the Dells—what they did for fun, how they decorated for the holidays, and what they wore. For example, the series of family films titled by Miriam, “Only Yesterday it Seems” contain images of the Bennetts, Crandalls, Dyers, and the Reeses—adults and children engaged in swimming, eating, boating, playing golf, skiing, sledding, doing household chores, graduating from school, taking care of babies, and having fun.
Scenes from family films circa 1925.
Scenes from family films circa 1960s.
The films also showcase the town and the landscape during a critical period of growth in the Dells as a tourist destination.
A scene of downtown Dells, circa 1951. Steaming down the Wisconsin River, circa 1930.
Broadway in Wisconsin Dells, circa 1930
Perhaps more interesting to some people are the films that document Native American people in transition and engaged in activities aimed at tourists in Wisconsin Dells.
One film, titled “Wisconsin Dells Indians,” and dating 1930-1950, contains footage of the “Indian Village” most likely at Old Dells Park. The film shows Ho-Chunk people making crafts, performing dances, and engaging in household style chores for the entertainment of visitors.
Four scenes from “Wisconsin Dells Indians” circa 1930s, by Miriam Bennett.
A second film titled, “Pipe Dyer’s Trading Post” dated about 1955 to 1956, contains similar footage at an “Indian Village.” Unlike the earlier film, this one is in color and also contains scenes of men building a log cabin and a wigwam style construction.
Scenes from Miriam Bennett’s film, “Pipe Dyer’s Trading Post” circa 1955.
Other films contain footage of the Stand Rock Indian Ceremonial at Stand Rock. The show featured Ho-Chunk people dancing and playing music and was a popular tourist stop along the Dells boat tours. The show ran from 1919 until 1997 at the Stand Rock amphitheater and for a time was run by H.H. Bennett’s granddaughter Phyllis Crandall.
Scenes from the film titled, “Wisconsin Dells” circa 1960s by Miriam Bennett.
The Miriam Bennett films feature so many different aspects of life in the Dells between 1925 and 1965 that it is hard to discuss them all. The films are a window into the past and document an important place in time and geography—the Wisconsin Dells as a natural area and as a tourist attraction.
About one-half of the films are digitized and can be viewed at the Society. For more information about the H.H. Bennett Studio Collection and the Miriam Bennett films, visit the archives catalog entry at