City ID#: 12 -- Name: Baraboo
| Location: | WI, USA |
| Population: | 10,771 |
| Vampire Mayor: | None |
| Vampire Tax: | 0 |
The first settlers came to this area in 1838. Being near the river was a huge plus sign for the development of this area. By 1846 Baraboo became the County Seat (still is); by 1866 it became an official Village; and by 1882 it was sporting the title of City.
Baraboo is most often known as “Circus City” for several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that the Ringling brothers called Baraboo home and had their winter quarters here through 1918. In 1884 the young Ringling brothers gave their first official circus performance. They rapidly grew successful and eventually joined forces with the Barnum and Bailey show which gave rise to the name we are all so familiar with: The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Not only the Ringlings called Baraboo home; other circuses started in Baraboo as well: Gollmar Brothers (1891 to 1916), John Robinson (1898), Forepaugh Sells Brothers (1910-1911, Fun on the Farm (1924), and Wilbur W. Deppe’s Classic Country Circus (1961-1966).
The circus wasn’t the only thing that put Baraboo on the map. Newspaper history was also made here. As the story goes: “When his partner quit to fight the Civil War, Editor Ansel H. Kellogg kept the Baraboo Republic in publication by ordering two pages of printed war news each week from a Madison newspaper and printing Baraboo news on the blank sides in his shop. Other newspapers joined in buying the ready prints and Kellogg developed his idea into the first newspaper syndicate. Today, every newspaper in the nation subscribes to articles from national and international news sources – they’re called boilerplates. Few small town newspapers could exist without this important source for reportable news and it all began here in Baraboo.” Incidentally, the News Republic still exists today as Baraboo’s daily newspaper!
The Courthouse Square is home to many structures from Baraboo’s past. This area of the city has always been the location of many different commercial establishments. A unique barbershop on Oak is recognized as a true historic restoration sporting old shaving mugs on shelves that line the room. At the time of the Ringlings there were livery stables, hotels, feed stores, book stores, harness shops, wagon shops, a dry goods store, and the Excelsior Drug Store (a “dispenser of medicinals, cathartics, and physician supplies” for more than 150 years).
The Sauk County Historical Society at 531 4th Avenue is home to many artifacts of these days when Baraboo was establishing its identity and going through its growing pains. A visit there will bring many moments of history to life as will a walk around the old Courthouse where friezes (action sequences depicted in the stone of the structure) and tableaus chronicle the development of the area and bring to life more of Baraboo’s history.
Web Site Link: cityofbaraboo.com
| Resistances: | Police | 79 |
| Religious | 98 | |
| Political | 84 | |
| Vampire Hunters | 23 |
| Skepticism: | 72 |
Masters Here: 0, Hometown Masters: 1
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