It was originally known as Berry's Dells Airport. It was built and owned by Clinton DeWitt Berry in 1928, the proprietor of Berry's Coldwater Canyon Hotel and Golf Course, now part of the Chula Vista Resort. The airport originally comprised 60 acres and was designated on government maps as beacon No. 19. It was also on the Milwaukee-Minneapolis route to the northern airways. Upon announcing the opening of the landing field on May 26, 1928, Berry said, "I look for large numbers of planes from Chicago, St. Louis and other cities to carry visitors to the Dells this summer". Clinton Berry was the uncle of Robert Irwin Berry, owner of Berry Electric Contracting Company in Chicago, Illinois. Robert Berry was the grandfather of Robert Forbis, who used the airfield many times in his Lancair Columbia 300 aircraft.[5]
Facilities and aircraft
Baraboo–Wisconsin Dells Airport covers an area of 312 acres (126 ha) at an elevation of 979 feet (298 m) above mean sea level. It has two runways: 1/19 is 5,010 by 100 feet (1,527 by 30 m) with an asphalt surface and is equipped with LOC/DME; 14/32 is 2,746 by 100 feet (837 by 30 m) with a turf surface and is closed from November 15 through April 15.[1]
For the 12-month period ending May 30, 2024, the airport had 30,000 aircraft operations, an average of 82 per day: 89% general aviation, 8% military and 3% air taxi.
In August 2024, there were 51 aircraft based at this airport: 43 single-engine, 3 multi-engine, 4 jet and 1 glider.[1]
