Baraboo 101 PART 3: From Railroad to Ringling

Please subscribe to our channel!

After Baraboo was established, its growth was fostered by the abundant waterpower the river provided but it was also hampered by the lack of a railroad connection. The topography of the Baraboo bluffs coupled with the costs of building a railroad thwarted all attempts until 1871 when the Chicago & North Western Railroad built a line through the Baraboo River valley. Baraboo was chosen to be a division headquarters for the railroad and a roundhouse, division offices, and other buildings were built to manage hundreds of miles of track and hundreds of employees. The next several years saw tremendous growth in Baraboo. Growth which prompted a harness maker named August Ringling to move back to the community with his family. Five of his sons started on their own course in May of 1884 when they held their first circus performance on a vacant lot. From that day, the Ringling Brothers Circus was established and added to Baraboo’s growth and fame. THIS IS PART 3 OF A THREE PART SERIES.