the three original towns
at the confluence of the Milwaukee, Menomonee, and Kinnickinnic Rivers that
joined to become Milwaukee. Before the establishment of Kilbourn City, the
region around the dells of the Wisconsin River 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 boom town named Newport sprang up at the
expected site of the bridge in 1853. The population of this new city quickly
swelled to over 2,000, but when the railroad finally came through the area in
1857 it took nearly everyone by surprise by crossing the river a mile upstream
from the site of Newport. As a result, Newport was rapidly turned into a ghost
town as the settlers flocked to the new city at the site of the railroad
bridge, Kilbourn City. The land at the point of crossing was originally owned
by Parley Eaton. Byron Kilbourn bought the land from Eaton for a reduced price
as everyone expected the railroad to cross at Newport. However, Kilbourn then
went to Madison and lobbied the state to allow for the railroad right-of-way to
be moved to cross at the point where he owned the land and greatly increased
its value. Gradually, tourism became a large part of Kilbourn City. To make it
easier for tourists to identify Kilbourn City with the natural landscape for
which it was famous, the name of the city was changed to Wisconsin Dells in
1931. As the twentieth century progressed, new attractions began to draw even
more tourists.
Tourism
Because of the scenery provided by the dells of the
Wisconsin River, Kilbourn City quickly became a popular travel destination in
the Midwest. In 1856, Leroy Gates began taking tourists on boat tours of the
Wisconsin Dells. These tours were given
