About Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin
Water Park Capitol of the World

Wisconsin Dells's Story

 The City of Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, is situated in the nation's heartland, in the middle of the southern half of Wisconsin. It's about 115 miles west of Milwaukee and about 50 miles north of Madison. Together with nearby Lake Delton, the community forms an area known as "the Dells", a popular Midwestern tourist destination boasting an estimated 3 million annual visitors. Wisconsin Dells is located partially within four counties: Adams, Columbia, Juneau and Sauk.

The city takes its name from the Dells of the Wisconsin River, a spectacular glacially-formed gorge that features striking sandstone rock formations and tributary canyons along the banks of the Wisconsin River. The unique cliffs (some over 100 feet high) and side canyons are a trove of fascinating ecological features. Consequently, the viewing of the rock formations by water is a popular tourist attraction in the area. A stunning array of other attractions comprise much of the communities of Lake Delton and Wisconsin Dells, making the area one of the most popular vacation destinations in the U.S., outside of the major population centers of New York, Florida and California.

Wisconsin Dells was founded as Kilbourn City in 1857 by the same Byron Kilbourn who, several decades earlier, had founded Kilbourntown, one of three southeastern Wisconsin Territorial towns along Lake Michigan that had merged to become Milwaukee. Before Kilbourn City, the dells region was primarily a lumbering area until 1851, when the La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad was chartered with Kilbourn as its president. The railroad made plans to bridge the Wisconsin River near the river's dells, and a boomtown named Newport sprang up at the expected site of the bridge in 1853. The anticipated presence of the railroad quickly swelled Newport's population to over 2000, but when the railroad finally arrived in 1857 it crossed the river a mile upstream from the site of Newport. As a result, Newport rapidly became a ghost town as the settlers flocked to the new city at the site of the railroad bridge, Kilbourn City.

Because of the stupendous scenery provided by the dells of the Wisconsin River, Kilbourn City quickly became a popular Midwestern travel destination. In 1875, landscape photographer H. H. Bennett established a studio in the city and took several photos of the sandstone formations in the dells, including many stereoscopic views. Prints of these photographs were distributed across the United States, further enhancing the status of Kilbourn City as a destination for sightseers. Taking advantage of this, Bennett began offering to take souvenir pictures of visitors to the dells, becoming one of the first to capitalize on the area's burgeoning tourist trade. Today, the H. H. Bennett Studio is a historic site operated by the Wisconsin Historical Society.

In 1931, Kilbourn City was renamed Wisconsin Dells after the natural feature which was drawing so many visitors to the town. As the twentieth century progressed, new attractions drew even more tourists. In 1946, Wisconsin Ducks began offering tours of the river dells and adjacent areas using decommissioned amphibious DUKW vehicles from World War II (The Ducks remain one of the area's most popular attractions). Then, in 1952, a new traveling performance from Chicago called the "Tommy Bartlett Water Ski & Jumping Boat Thrill Show" came to Wisconsin Dells on its second stop. Following the show's huge success in the city, the show's owner, Tommy Bartlett, chose to keep the performances permanently in Wisconsin Dells. To promote the show, Bartlett gave away bumper stickers advertising his thrill show as well as the community, effectively advertising the area across the nation. Soon more attractions followed to serve the ever increasing number of tourists, along with countless hotels, shops, and restaurants.

Throughout the last century, Wisconsin Dells continued to draw visitors by the hundreds of thousands - all of the while amassing a growing population of entrepreneurs. Beginning in the late 1970s and continuing to the present, the Dells area has become a waterpark mecca. Noah's Ark water park opened in Wisconsin Dells in 1979, and has grown to become the largest and the eighth most visited waterpark in the U.S. Other outdoor amusement and water parks followed, featuring water slides, mini golf, roller coasters, go karts, and other attractions. In 1994 the Polynesian Resort Hotel opened the area's first indoor water park, and recently the number of combination resort/indoor water parks in the Dells area has swelled, with each new indoor park a bit larger than the last, in an effort to claim the "world's largest" title for the resort. Today, with 18 indoor and 3 outdoor water parks in "the Dells" region, Wisconsin Dells proclaims itself as the "Water Park Capital of the World."

But that huge, transient summertime population dwindles back to a cozy and ready-to-relax year-round population of 3,000 after Labor Day, when area residents peacefully enjoy a stroll along the scenic Dells RiverWalk. As a result, Wisconsin Dells offers a wonderful place to raise a family. The high summer revenues and a resulting low cost of living create a boon to many local and area residents and the family fun atmosphere of this small, rural community is virtually impossible to find elsewhere. In addition, Senior High, college-age and young adult summer employment opportunities serving the tourist trade are numerous. Employment with any of hundreds of Dells area attractions and related enterprises also serve as educational encounters with many international students - both co-workers and visitors - as well as the chance to make friends from all parts of the U.S. and Canada. In fact, Wisconsin Dells was named to the "Best Places For College Students to Work During the Summer" list published by Time Magazine in the spring of 2004.

For more information on activities in and around Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, visit:

Wisconsin Dells - Waterpark Capitol of the World
Wisconsin: Life's So Good!

Wisconsin Dells Homes and Real Estate

Wisconsin Dells real estate includes a wide variety of homes for sale, condos for sale, water access properties (waterfront, bay or lake view) , active adult communities, hobby farms and executive properties. Whether you're presently a home buyer or home seller, we're confident we can help you achieve your real estate goals. With CENTURY 21 Affiliated as their real estate partner, home buyers and home sellers, alike, can rest assured they'll find the real estate solution they've been looking for. Regardless of your present home or property concerns - whether you are buying or selling a home, condo, land or other property - CENTURY 21 Affiliated has the expertise to guide you through the process painlessly and profitably.

Sellers who have been in the area for a while know our reputation for knowledgeable advice, enthusiastic service, creative marketing and professional networking. We mine every source for interested buyers so you can feel at ease that your home will attract value and that it will remain in good hands.

For buyers new to the area, CENTURY 21 Affiliated will provide the specialized services you deserve: a strong work ethic, personal real estate expertise to help define your needs, help with selecting and securing standard financing for your purchase, special technology, constant communication throughout the transaction, and more. Our many years living and working in the area, combined with our cumulative years of experience in real estate, means we can cover all aspects of your Our recognized expertise, professionalism and commitment to customer satisfaction has made us the choice of many previous home buyers to help guide their Our company has gained a proud reputation for providing superior benefits to our home buying clients as we help them complete their search, from existing homes for sale, properties for sale, lots, vacant land, new construction, 55-plus and retirement communities, investment properties, waterfront, golf and recreational properties, all the way to luxury villas, estates and executive homes.

So when you're ready to buy or sell real estate in or around Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin, please let CENTURY 21 Affiliated help you purchase the home or property of your dreams. Contact CENTURY 21 Affiliated today!

Other nearby communities have similar real estate characteristics as Wisconsin Dells and may also be of interest to you in your home search. Please feel free to ask your friends at CENTURY 21 Affiliated about homes for sale, lakeside/riverside properties and other real estate listings for nearby communities like: Madison, Dane County, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, Janesville, Beloit, La Crosse, La Crosse County, Milton, Rock County, Sauk County, Waukesha, Waukesha County, Wauwatosa, West Allis, Baraboo, Beaver Dam, Blanchardville, Wisconsin Dells, Portage, Reedsburg, Jefferson County, Delavan, Richland Center, Sun Prairie, Middleton, Monona, Shorewood, Spring Green, Stoughton, Columbia County, Cross Plains, East Troy, Fennimore, Fitchburg, Verona, Viroqua, Walworth County and Waterloo.

Learn more about Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin…

You may also be interested to note that other site visitors who have indicated an interest in properties, homes, and real estate in and around either Wisconsin Dells, WI have also been successful using some or all of the following key words to identify and gather information on either Wisconsin Dells, or Columbia County, WI real estate:

• Wisconsin Dells WI real estate
• Wisconsin Dells, WI real estate
• Wisconsin Dells (WI) real estate OR homes for sale
• Wisconsin Dells AND WI AND "real estate"
• Wisconsin Dells AND WI AND "home"
• Wisconsin Dells, WI Area properties AND "for sale"
• Wisconsin Dells OR Greater Milwaukee AND WI AND "real estate"
• Milwaukee Area (WI) real estate
• Milwaukee County, WI real estate
• Greater Madison AND WI AND "real estate"