Bendix Woods
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Bendix Woods is the name of a park located west of South Bend, Indiana. The park is under the control of the St. Joseph County Park and Recreation Department.
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 eastablishment 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 (3.4 km²) of land in 1926 as the first ever controlled automotive testing grounds for their product lines, beating Packard, Studebaker's future business partner, by one year. 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.
Following the collapse of Studebaker's U.S. production facilities the land was acquired by Bendix Corporation which used the grounds for Corporate purposes.
In late December 2004, the STUDEBAKER tree planting, recognized as one of the world's largest living advertisements, was severely damaged in a Christmas week ice storm. However the sign is still evident using modern satellite technology.
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