Baraboo, Dells, and Devil's Lake Region Part 1

Baraboo, Dells, and Devil's Lake Region.

by H. E. Cole.

Foreword

The following pages are intended to give but a faint hint of the geology, archeology, history and scenic beauty of the Baraboo, Dells, and Devil's Lake region. If they add, even in a slight degree, to the pleasure of those who love the out-of-doors, and encourage the local resident as well as the visitor to inform himself concerning the numberless interesting and fascinating features of our countryside, the object for which they were written will have been accomplished.

As to geology, this is a rare field for the student. The igneous rocks, the various formations resting upon them, the drift covered and driftless areas, and the work of erosion through long periods of time have combined to make the region one to which many students are attracted annually.

The Indian earthworks, the village sites, and other relics of a race which once found delight in dwelling here, furnish a rich territory for those interested in the American aborigine.

As to local history, the annals of the white man reach back to 1673 when the first river voyagers went down the Wisconsin. The interesting story is continuous from the days when the region was on the outer rim of civilization to the present time.

Above all is this section rich in natural beauty. The hills and the numerous lakes and rivers have for years attracted tourists from every point of the compa.s.s. California and other localities boast greater elevations, larger lakes and more prominent streams, but for unique beauty there are few spots in this country that possess the attraction of the Dells, Mirror Lake, Devil's Lake, and the Baraboo Hills.

In the preparation of these pages valuable a.s.sistance in the making of the maps has been given by City Engineer H. E. French of Baraboo and Consulting Engineer W. G. Kirchoffer of Madison. To O. D. Brandenburg, editor of the Madison Democrat, Dr. M. M. Quaife and Miss Louise Phelps Kellogg of the staff of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Charles E. Brown, secretary of the Wisconsin Archeological Society, and others the writer is also deeply indebted.

H. E. COLE.

June 1, 1920.

CHAPTER I

Origin of Name and First Settlers at Baraboo--Museum--Where Ringlings First Pitched a Tent

Baraboo, the Gem City, is supposed to have been named for Jean Baribault (the spelling corrupted into Baraboo), a French trader and trapper who is said to have bartered with the Indians near the mouth of the stream which bears his name. First the river was called Baraboo, spelled in various ways, then the name was applied to the hills, to the city, and to the town.

The city of Baraboo is situated in a boat-shaped valley about twenty miles in length and of varying width. The north and south range of the Baraboo Bluffs enclose the valley, the river entering through a gap at the Upper Narrows and escaping through a similar opening at the eastern extremity of the depression.

The first families came to Baraboo about 1840, among them being those of Eben Peck, Wallace Rowin, and Abe Wood. The water power was the loadstone that attracted these first settlers, Peck laying claim to the land at the "lower oxbow" and the other two to the power site at the "upper oxbow" of the Baraboo river. Eben Peck was the first to erect a house in Madison, Mrs. Peck was the first white woman in the Baraboo valley, and their only daughter, Mrs. A. S. Hawley, the first white person born in Madison, now resides in the neighboring village of Delton.

Museum in Courthouse

The museum of the Sauk County Historical Society in the courthouse contains many relics of pioneer times and pictures of the pioneers themselves. There are cases of stone and copper Indian relics; display of badges given by the late Philip Cheek, at one time department commander of the Grand Army of the Republic of Wisconsin, by Mrs.

Cheek, by C. S. Blanchett and others; number of flintlock and other old guns; exhibit of polished sh.e.l.ls, stalact.i.tes, and many very interesting curios of this locality. The society also possesses a remarkable collection of handmade tools.

The First Courthouse

The first courthouse in Baraboo stood on the north side of the square at about 120 Fourth Avenue. The second story was used by the pioneers, not only for a courtroom but for church, school, lecture and dancing hall. On one occasion citizens began to arrive for both religious services and a dancing party, there being some mistake in announcing the two events. For a time there was some question as to how the matter would terminate when a violin was brought forth and the floor was soon filled with dancers indulging in the light fantastic. After being deserted by the county officers, and while being used as a saloon, the building was burned on the night of July 4, 1857.

The Al. Ringling Theatre

The beautiful Al. Ringling theatre, 136-140 Fourth Avenue, just west of the old courthouse site, was erected by the oldest of the circus firm of Ringling Brothers on the ground once occupied by the Wisconsin House, the brick portion of which was known in pioneer times as the Little Dutch Tavern. The theatre, a building of unusual beauty, was built in 1915, at a cost of about $100,000. The interior is of French design; instead of a gallery there is a crescent of seventeen boxes above the main floor. The building seats almost 1,000 persons and was opened to the public on the night of November 17, 1915, the owner, then in ill health, being barely able to be present. Mr. Ringling died soon after, January 1, 1916, in the large mansion around the corner to the right.

The Al. Ringling Residence

The Al. Ringling residence of Lake Superior brown stone was erected in 1909, the cost being about $100,000. Here the funeral of a brother, Otto Ringling, was held in 1911. Otto was born in a small frame house that stood about where the north wall of the mansion is located. The only sister of the Ringling Brothers, Mrs. Harry North, and her family now occupy the home.

The First Church

Across the street to the east of the Al. Ringling residence stood the first church in the Baraboo valley. One winter day in January, 1850, a band of Christian workers cleared away the snow, erected a building 36 by 74 feet from rough boards, filling the s.p.a.ces between the walls with sawdust, and covering the floor with the same material. A bronze tablet on the treebank marks the site.

An Early College

In the days before high schools every village with any pretence to enterprise and enlightenment had a select school or college. The building at the rear of the Ringling residence, 221 and 223 Fifth Avenue, was the home of the Baraboo Collegiate Inst.i.tute, established in 1858. With the opening of the free high school in Baraboo in the late 60's the inst.i.tution closed its doors. Originally the building faced the east.

A Literary Atmosphere

The street later boasted a literary atmosphere as a little farther to the west, at number 316 Fifth Avenue, lived Jack Boyle, the genial author of the widely read Boston Blackie stories, during the winter of 1919-'20.

Library Where a Church Stood

Turning to the left at the corner of Fifth and Birch, one block brings the loiterer to the Carnegie Free Public Library, standing on the site of the Free Congregational Church. In the old church Samuel Longfellow, a brother of the New England poet, expounded the doctrines of Unitarianism, the choir singing hymns of his composition. In the same building A. Bronson Alcott interpreted transcendentalism, and Rev.

Frederic May Holland, a cousin of Louisa M. Alcott, was heard there.

Home of the Gollmars

A little to the south of the library, 507 Birch Street, is the home of the late Mr. and Mrs. G. G. Gollmar, parents of the Gollmar Brothers who owned a circus for many years. The Gollmar sons and daughters are cousins of the Ringlings. The house is now occupied by a daughter, Mrs.

Armor Brown.

Where The Ringlings First Pitched a Tent

Turning to the left on Second Avenue one block, then to the right one block, brings the visitor to the county jail, the site where Ringling Brothers first pitched their "big top," May 19, 1884. The old jail stood farther back on the lot and the circus was given near the avenue, the gate of the fence enclosing the grounds standing open all day.

Although they had given hall shows before the first circus performance beneath a tent, that afternoon in May was the beginning of a road which ended in the making of several millionaires.

Across the street and a little to the west, 210 Second Avenue, is where August Ringling (originally spelled Rungeling), the father of the showmen, died in 1898. The family previously lived at number 227, almost at the end of the block on the opposite side of the thoroughfare.

A Dream of Jugs