TOMMY BARTLETT'S GYROTRON PICTURES

"The Dells Only Indoor Amusement Rides" is what caught my eye. How could anyone interested in parks and rides pass that up? I stepped out of the bright sunlight and into what appeared to be a perverse attic full of amusement ride, games and attractions.

Seriously, this place wasn't much bigger than an attic, yet it was crammed full of a few small amusement rides, games galore and the occasional oddball amusement. The rides included a Frog Hopper, a small carousel, a few gyroscopes and probably something else I'm forgetting. The games ranged from milking a cow for tickets to out-electrocuting a dummy in an electric chair to more standard "claw and light" based games of skill and chance that gave away anything from tickets to $10 bills. A full compliment of older, newer and weirder video games rounded out the experience and helped fill the place to the brim.

Tommy Bartlett was an important part of the Dells becoming what it is today and it seems his name is attached to approximately one in every three signs you drive by. Take a look at just one of those attractions in this special feature.