Bendix Woods - Studebaker - Sign - Trees

"The name Bendix Woods originates from the Bendix Corporation, which donated the land to the county for the creation of a park. The park's historical significance, however, dates to its establishment by the Studebaker Corporation, formerly of nearby South Bend, Indiana as the first model test facility for an American automobile company.

Studebaker developed the 840 acres of land in 1926 as the first ever controlled automotive testing grounds for their product lines. Studebaker heavily promoted the grounds as a "Million Dollar Outdoor Testing Laboratory" in advertisements.

The test track that ran through the grounds simulated a variety of terrains and road conditions. Studebaker landscaped the park by keeping natural features; in 1937 the company planted more than 5,000 pine trees in a pattern that when viewed from a plane spelled STUDEBAKER."

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