Baraboo, Dells, and Devil's
Lake Region
With Maps and Illustrations
[Illustration]
By H. E. COLE
Baraboo. Wisconsin.
Baraboo News Publishing Company.
Baraboo, Wisconsin.
Copyright 1920.
[Illustration: MAP OF THE INTERESTING BARABOO REGION.]
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 compass. 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 assistance 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.
Index
CHAPTER PAGE
I. Baraboo--Part I 5
II. Baraboo--Part II 9
III. Devil's Lake 13
IV. Wisconsin River Dells 19
V. Lower Dells--Deserted Village 24
VI. Mirror Lake--Congress Hall 28
VII. Pewit's Nest--Skillet Falls 30
VIII. Man Mound, Indian Earthwork 33
IX. Stone Pillar of Chief Yellow Thunder 35
X. Portage and Fort Winnebago 38
XI. Boyhood Homes of John Muir 43
XII. Wisconsin Heights Battlefield--Natural Bridge 46
XIII. Parfrey's Glen 52
XIV. Durward's Glen 53
XV. Spring Green--Taliesin--Other Trips 61
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 shells, stalactites, 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 spaces 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 Institute, established
in 1858. With the opening of the free high school in Baraboo in the
late 60's the institution 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
Continuing on Second Avenue one is reminded that on the side of the
hill there was once a pottery where jars and jugs were produced in
profusion. With the poet one can almost hear the potter sing:
"Turn, turn, my wheel, turn round and round;
Without a pause, without a sound."
The Lincoln Elm
The large elm in front of the residence at 506 Second Avenue was
planted by the late State Senator Frank Avery on the day the news of
the assassination of President Lincoln reached Baraboo in April, 1865.
It is known as the Lincoln elm. As with the martyred Lincoln a tragedy
came to the tree one day--Jove shot a thunderbolt into its branches,
badly injuring it.
No Lions Now
Continuing down the street, the ground to the left and adjacent to the
river, was the winter quarters of the Gollmar Brothers' Circus for many
years. The circus was established in 1891, was conducted by Charles A.,
Benjamin F., Fred C., and Walter S., and sold by them in the fall of
1916 to the Patterson Carnival Company.
Largest Mill This Side of Philadelphia
Across the river stands the Island Woolen Mill (owned by the McFetridge
family) the largest plant of its kind west of Philadelphia.
Lyons
Crossing the concrete bridge over the Baraboo River, where the inviting
pergolas stand at the ends of the dam, one is in the village of Lyons,
platted by W. H. Canfield in 1846, the first plat in the Baraboo
valley, and named for Lyons, New York.
Going several blocks to the right after making the first turn, the
traveler is on the Baraboo-Kilbourn road. Swinging again to the right
the old Indian ford may be seen in the Baraboo River, the highway along
the stream occupying the location of an aboriginal trail.
An Early Home
The log cabin of Wallace Rowin (sometimes spelled Rowan or Rowen) was
near the large elm tree by the driveway leading to the residence
opposite the ford. Rowin came into the lead region of Wisconsin during
the excitement in the 30's, was an early resident at Cross Plains, the
first to enter land in Columbia county, and one of the first to come to
Baraboo. Rowin, and wife, the first country judge of Sauk county,
Lorrin Cowles, his daughter, and others are buried on the ridge of land
several rods to the left as one travels a block or more towards Ochsner
Park.
The City Park
The park was acquired by the city in 1918 and formally opened to the
public in 1919. The land was purchased from the Ochsner family, the
celebrated Chicago surgeon, Dr. A. J. Ochsner, making his interest in
the property a gift to the city.
The First House in Baraboo
At the crest of the river bank in the southwest corner of the park is
where the first log cabin, the first house, was built in Baraboo. In it
lived Abe Wood, his Indian wife, and their two daughters. Wood & Rowin
built the first dam in the Baraboo River, a portion of it remaining a
few rods below and to the left of where the cabin stood. When the water
is low some of the timbers may be seen in the bottom of the stream,
placed there in 1840.
An Old Hop House
North of Ochsner Park, on the Dodd estate at 706 Eighth Avenue, stands
an old hop house, a reminder of the days when fortunes were made and
lost growing the vine in this region.
Leaving the park at the street in front of the brick residence, the old
Ochsner home, and continuing on Seventh Avenue to number 617, is found
the pioneer homestead of Col. D. S. Vittum, once the scene of much
social gaiety. It was a fine place in its day, crowning a hill amongst
the forest trees, but like many early American homes, the time has come
when it may be said:
"A jolly place in time of old,
But something ails it now."
The First School
At 321 Seventh Avenue, the visitor comes to where the first school was
erected in the Baraboo valley. The site was selected by Wallace Rowin,
W. H. Canfield, and Lewis Bronson. E. M. Hart the first teacher,
resided with his girl wife in the lean-to of the log structure.
Notwithstanding an abundance of timber in the immediate vicinity, such
economy was exercised in erecting the structure, as a tall citizen once
remarked, it was necessary to stoop unusually low when entering the
door, "and you could throw a cat through the cracks without touching a
hair."