Baraboo, Wisconsin

The area around Baraboo was the site of a Kickapoo village as early as 1665.{{cite web |title=Fur Trade {{!}} Indians of the Midwest |url=https://publications.newberry.org/indiansofthemidwest/people-places-time/eras/fur-trade/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111109085359/http://publications.newberry.org/indiansofthemidwest/people-places-time/eras/fur-trade/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 9, 2011 |website=Indians of the Midwest |access-date=12 April 2019}} The current community was established by Abe Wood in 1838, and was originally known as the village of Adams.{{Cite book|url=https://www.baraboopubliclibrary.org/files/local/saukvol1/sauk/images/00000017.pdf|title=A Standard History of Sauk County|chapter=Chapter 15 The City of Baraboo}} In 1839 several settlers arrived and started building cabins, and a saw mill.{{Cite web|title=History of Baraboo Sauk County, Wisconsin|url=http://genealogytrails.com/wis/sauk/history_baraboo.htm|access-date=2020-10-09|website=genealogytrails.com}} In 1846 it became the county seat of Sauk County after a fierce fight with the nearby village of Reedsburg.[http://www.scls.lib.wi.us/acl/localhistory/past_present/images/00000012.pdf "County Government: Why Adams County?"] in Adams County Historical Society,From Past to Present: Adams County. Friendship, Wisconsin: New Past Press, 1999. In 1852, the village was renamed "Baraboo", after the nearby river. It was incorporated as a village in 1866 and as a city in 1882.[http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/WI/WI-idx?type=turn&entity=WI.WIBlueBk1929.p0651&id=WI.WIBlueBk1929&isize=L The Wisconsin Blue Book 1929]. Madison: Democrat Printing Company, 1929, p. 627.[http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.asp?action=view&term_id=15087 "Term: Baraboo (brief history)"] in Dictionary of Wisconsin History. In the 1860s, the city had surpassed a population of 2,000, and many businesses started to form, including grocery stores, banks, and hotels. In 1872, the Chicago and North Western Railway (C&NW) was built. Baraboo became home to several saw mills during this time, because of its location near the Baraboo and Wisconsin Rivers.

In 1884, the Ringling Brothers Circus was established in Baraboo by circus performers and tourers the Ringling brothers, after they settled in the city in 1875 and performed their first show in Mazomanie, Wisconsin in 1882. Several other circuses then came to the city, which earned Baraboo the nickname "Circus City".

Located south of Baraboo in the Census-designated place of Bluffview, was the Badger Ordnance Works, which was the largest munitions factory in the world during World War II.{{Cite web|title=GSA - Badger Site Information|url=http://propertydisposal.gsa.gov/mip/nographics/army/badger/badger.asp|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060621192657/http://propertydisposal.gsa.gov/mip/nographics/army/badger/badger.asp|archive-date=2006-06-21|access-date=2013-09-10}} It was later demolished and now the land is a part of the Sauk Prairie Recreation Area.{{Cite web|title=Sauk Prairie Wisconsin State Park System {{!}} Wisconsin DNR|url=https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/parks/saukprairie|access-date=2020-10-09|website=dnr.wisconsin.gov}}

Hank Snow's 1959 song "I've Been Everywhere", famously covered by Johnny Cash, mentions visiting Baraboo.

Cirrus, a manufacturer of single-engine aircraft, was founded in a rural Baraboo barn in 1984 by the Klapmeier brothers.The Museum of Flight {{cite web|url=http://www.museumofflight.org/event/2014/may/21/lecture-cirrus-aircraft-ceo-dale-klapmeier |title=Lecture by Cirrus Aircraft CEO Dale Klapmeier {{pipe}} the Museum of Flight |access-date=July 20, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720014105/http://www.museumofflight.org/event/2014/may/21/lecture-cirrus-aircraft-ceo-dale-klapmeier |archive-date=July 20, 2014 }}[http://airportjournals.com/9-the-dream-brothers-alan-and-dale-klapmeier/ The Dream Brothers: Alan and Dale Klapmeier] Airport Journals, June 2005 After a few years of designing the VK-30, they relocated to the Baraboo–Dells Airport and in 1994 moved the company to its present-day home in Duluth, Minnesota.[http://www.wisconsinaviationhalloffame.org/blog/ Exciting News From the National Aviation Hall of Fame] Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame

File:BarabooWisconsinSignWIS33.jpg]]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of {{convert|7.47|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|7.39|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.08|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is water.{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=2012-11-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112090031/http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt |archive-date=January 12, 2012 }}

West Baraboo, a suburb of Baraboo, borders the city on its west side.

Baraboo gives its name to the Baraboo Syncline, a doubly plunging, asymmetric syncline in Proterozoic-aged Baraboo quartzite. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin, particularly Charles R. Van Hise, used the syncline to demonstrate that small-scale deformational structures in isolated outcrops reflect larger regional structures and that sedimentary structures could indicate the original top-facing direction within elaborately deformed strata. These two principles sparked a global revolution in structural geology during the 1920s.{{cite journal | first=R.H. Jr. | last=Dott |title= Wisconsin roots of the modern revolution in structural geology |journal= GSA Bulletin |publisher= The Geological Society of America |volume= 113 |number= 8 |pages= 996–1009 |doi= 10.1130/0016-7606(2001)113<0996:WROTMR>2.0.CO;2 |date=August 2001 |bibcode= 2001GSAB..113..996D }}

The nearby Baraboo Hills are designated one of the "Last Great Places" by the Nature Conservancy because of its rare rocks, plants and animals. The hills were created by glacial action, and in some points poke up from the flat terrain to form a stark contrast. Some of these features were created when a glacial pocket was formed during the Wisconsin glaciation where the advance of the glacier halted, along the edge of what is known as the Driftless Area. Devil's Lake State Park, Wisconsin's largest state park, contains large areas of the Baraboo Hills. Pewits Nest is located outside Baraboo.

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Baraboo has a warm-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Baraboo was {{convert|103|F|C|1}} on July 5–7, 2012, while the coldest temperature recorded was {{convert|-45|F|C|1}} on January 30, 1951.

{{Weather box

|location = Baraboo, Wisconsin, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–present

|single line = Yes

|Jan record high F = 60

|Feb record high F = 72

|Mar record high F = 84

|Apr record high F = 92

|May record high F = 96

|Jun record high F = 102

|Jul record high F = 103

|Aug record high F = 102

|Sep record high F = 99

|Oct record high F = 92

|Nov record high F = 76

|Dec record high F = 68

|Jan avg record high F = 46.8

|Feb avg record high F = 52.7

|Mar avg record high F = 67.3

|Apr avg record high F = 78.5

|May avg record high F = 86.5

|Jun avg record high F = 91.4

|Jul avg record high F = 92.9

|Aug avg record high F = 91.3

|Sep avg record high F = 87.8

|Oct avg record high F = 80.6

|Nov avg record high F = 65.4

|Dec avg record high F = 52.1

|year avg record high F = 94.9

|Jan high F = 27.5

|Feb high F = 32.2

|Mar high F = 44.1

|Apr high F = 57.2

|May high F = 69.6

|Jun high F = 79.0

|Jul high F = 82.8

|Aug high F = 80.9

|Sep high F = 73.7

|Oct high F = 60.5

|Nov high F = 45.5

|Dec high F = 33.2

|year high F =

|Jan mean F = 18.6

|Feb mean F = 22.4

|Mar mean F = 33.6

|Apr mean F = 45.6

|May mean F = 57.9

|Jun mean F = 67.6

|Jul mean F = 71.5

|Aug mean F = 69.3

|Sep mean F = 61.7

|Oct mean F = 49.5

|Nov mean F = 36.6

|Dec mean F = 24.9

|year mean F =

|Jan low F = 9.6

|Feb low F = 12.5

|Mar low F = 23.1

|Apr low F = 34.1

|May low F = 46.2

|Jun low F = 56.2

|Jul low F = 60.1

|Aug low F = 57.6

|Sep low F = 49.7

|Oct low F = 38.4

|Nov low F = 27.6

|Dec low F = 16.6

|year low F =

|Jan avg record low F = -15.9

|Feb avg record low F = -11.3

|Mar avg record low F = -2.3

|Apr avg record low F = 16.9

|May avg record low F = 28.8

|Jun avg record low F = 39.4

|Jul avg record low F = 46.4

|Aug avg record low F = 43.4

|Sep avg record low F = 31.7

|Oct avg record low F = 21.3

|Nov avg record low F = 8.1

|Dec avg record low F = -6.6

|year avg record low F = -19.6

|Jan record low F = -45

|Feb record low F = -41

|Mar record low F = -34

|Apr record low F = -2

|May record low F = 19

|Jun record low F = 31

|Jul record low F = 38

|Aug record low F = 34

|Sep record low F = 20

|Oct record low F = 10

|Nov record low F = -17

|Dec record low F = -35

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 1.35

|Feb precipitation inch = 1.36

|Mar precipitation inch = 2.21

|Apr precipitation inch = 4.16

|May precipitation inch = 4.28

|Jun precipitation inch = 5.58

|Jul precipitation inch = 4.79

|Aug precipitation inch = 4.53

|Sep precipitation inch = 3.85

|Oct precipitation inch = 2.91

|Nov precipitation inch = 2.20

|Dec precipitation inch = 1.68

|year precipitation inch = 38.90

|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in

|Jan precipitation days = 8.3

|Feb precipitation days = 7.3

|Mar precipitation days = 9.1

|Apr precipitation days = 11.2

|May precipitation days = 13.1

|Jun precipitation days = 11.8

|Jul precipitation days = 10.2

|Aug precipitation days = 10.1

|Sep precipitation days = 10.4

|Oct precipitation days = 10.4

|Nov precipitation days = 8.1

|Dec precipitation days = 8.9

|Jan snow inch = 11.3

|Feb snow inch = 10.1

|Mar snow inch = 5.9

|Apr snow inch = 2.6

|May snow inch = 0.0

|Jun snow inch = 0.0

|Jul snow inch = 0.0

|Aug snow inch = 0.0

|Sep snow inch = 0.0

|Oct snow inch = 0.4

|Nov snow inch = 2.1

|Dec snow inch = 10.3

|year snow inch =

|unit snow days = 0.1 in

|Jan snow days = 6.7

|Feb snow days = 5.8

|Mar snow days = 3.1

|Apr snow days = 1.0

|May snow days = 0.0

|Jun snow days = 0.0

|Jul snow days = 0.0

|Aug snow days = 0.0

|Sep snow days = 0.0

|Oct snow days = 0.2

|Nov snow days = 1.5

|Dec snow days = 5.5

|source 1 = NOAA

{{cite web

|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00470516&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL

|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

|title = U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Baraboo, WI

|access-date = May 3, 2023

}}

|source 2 = National Weather Service

{{cite web

|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=mkx

|publisher = National Weather Service

|title = NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Milwaukee

|access-date = May 3, 2023

}}

}}

{{US Census population

|1850= 255

|1860= 1360

|1870= 1528

|1880= 3266

|1890= 4605

|1900= 5751

|1910= 6324

|1920= 5538

|1930= 5545

|1940= 6415

|1950= 7264

|1960= 7660

|1970= 7931

|1980= 8081

|1990= 9203

|2000= 10711

|2010= 12048

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}

|2020=12556}}

Baraboo forms the core of the United States Census Bureau's Baraboo Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Sauk County (2000 population: 55,225). The Baraboo μSA is just northwest of the Madison metropolitan area, with which it forms the Census Bureau's Baraboo-Madison Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area.

As of the census of 2020,{{cite web|title=2020 Decennial Census: Baraboo city, Wisconsin |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US5504625&y=2020&d=DEC%20Redistricting%20Data%20%28PL%2094-171%29 |website=data.census.gov |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=13 July 2022}} the population was 12,556. The population density was {{convert|1,709.2|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 5,776 housing units at an average density of {{convert|786.3|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 88.0% White, 1.4% Native American, 1.3% Black or African American, 1.0% Asian, 2.7% from other races, and 5.6% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 5.9% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

As of the census{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=2012-11-18}} of 2010, there were 12,048 people, 5,161 households, and 3,016 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|1630.3|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 5,619 housing units at an average density of {{convert|760.4|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the city was 94.0% White, 1.3% African American, 1.0% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.5% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 3.7% of the population.

There were 5,161 households, of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.1% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.6% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.89.

The median age in the city was 38 years. 23.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.5% were from 25 to 44; 25.1% were from 45 to 64; and 15.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.

As of the census of 2000, there were 10,711 people, 4,467 households, and 2,733 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,030.2 people per square mile

(783.2/km²). There were 4,718 housing units at an average density of 894.3 per square mile (345.0 persons/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.12% White, 0.51% African American, 0.77% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. 1.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 4,467 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $38,375, and the median income for a family was $48,149. Males had a median income of $32,775 versus $22,813 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,304. 6.6% of the population and 4.7% of families were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under the age of 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or older.

File:Baraboo City Hall.jpg

A city hall building opened in 1967,Dewel, Bob. "[https://www.baraboopubliclibrary.org/files/local/dewelvol3/05%20the%201970s%20001.pdf '60s, '70s and sophistication too?]" In: "The 1970's"{{sic}} Pages 989 to 1052. Baraboo Public Library. Retrieved on November 22, 2018. CITED: p. 990. and another location finished construction in 2018 at a cost of $9 million.{{cite web |last1=Bromley |first1=Ben |title=Staff will move into Baraboo's new City Hall April 9 |url=https://www.wiscnews.com/baraboonewsrepublic/news/local/staff-will-move-into-baraboos-new-city-hall-april-9/article_1f50db73-d7f8-5319-95f8-ece7f1bc048a.html |website=Wisconsin News |access-date=October 8, 2020 |date=March 14, 2018}}

A post office opened in 1961.

{{multiple image

| align = right

| direction = vertical

| width = 190

| header = Baraboo High School

| image1 = Baraboo High School.jpg

| image2 = Baraboo High School-2.jpg

}}

A campus of the University of Wisconsin–Platteville Baraboo Sauk County is located in Baraboo.

The School District of Baraboo has four elementary schools serving students in grades 1 through 5, one kindergarten center, one middle school and one high school (Baraboo High School).

The middle school has a swimming pool that can be accessed by the public with a seasonal membership option. There are also three parochial schools: St. Joseph's Catholic School, which serves Pre-K through sixth grade; St. John's Lutheran School of the WELS, serving Pre-K through eighth grade;{{cite web|title=St John's Lutheran School Home|url=http://stjohnsbaraboo.org/st-johns-lutheran-school-home/|date=2016-03-08}} and Community Christian School, serving 4K through high school.{{cite web|url=http://barabooccs.com/|website=Community Christian School of Baraboo|access-date=9 August 2014|title=Community Christian School of Baraboo}}

St. Joseph's Catholic, under the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison, is a parochial school. The current school building, designed by the Wisconsin Rapids company Billmeyer and Sons and with a cost of over $500,000, has 11 classrooms. The basement has a cafeteria and a combination auditorium/gymnasium. The second building for the school opened on a filled-in ravine in 1912, northeast of its associated church. The building had three floors and a basement. The first and second floors each had three classrooms, and the second floor also housed the chapel and the library. The third floor had a 600-seat auditorium while the basement had a large banquet hall/gymnasium. The second building became overcrowded due to the post-World War II baby boom, so the third school building, north of the second building, opened in 1958.Sauk County Historical Society. Baraboo. Arcadia Publishing, 2017. {{ISBN|1467125105}}, 9781467125109. p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=YSYnDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA84 84].

The Baraboo Public Library serves the community. The former Free Congregational Society church was demolished by 1902 for the library's construction.Sauk County Historical Society. Baraboo. Arcadia Publishing, 2017. {{ISBN|1467125105}}, 9781467125109. p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=YSYnDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA85 85].

Baraboo includes the Downtown Baraboo Historic District, which consists of 75 commercial and civic buildings built between 1870 and 1938.{{Cite web|date=2012-01-01|title=Roughly bounded by 5th and 2 Avenues, and 5th, Ash, 1st, Oak and Birch Streets {{!}} National or State Registers Record|url=https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/NationalRegister/NR2477|access-date=2020-10-07|website=Wisconsin Historical Society|language=en}} The Sauk County Courthouse is in the center of the district, and it serves the county.

File:Baraboo, Wisconsin.jpg and Bus. US -12 Junction on the west side of town]]

The Baraboo-Wisconsin Dells Airport (KDLL) serves the city and surrounding communities, and is located on Bus. US 12 3 miles north of the city. State Highways 33, 113, 136, and U.S. 12 pass through Baraboo. There is access to Interstate 90/94 nearby. The Wisconsin & Southern Railroad provides freight rail service to Baraboo via the Reedsburg Subdivision, the nearest Amtrak passenger rail station is in neighboring Wisconsin Dells. Dial-a-ride transit service is available in the city through Baraboo Transit.

• The Aldo Leopold Shack and Farm. celebrated in his book A Sand County Almanac (1949), is near Baraboo.
• The Gust Brothers' Store is in Baraboo.
• The Walworth D. Porter Duplex Residence is in Baraboo.

File:RobinsonThrowing.jpg]]

File:Frank Buck and John Ringling North.jpg (right)]]

{{Div col|colwidth=27em}}

• Donald R. Atkinson, educator and writer
• Frank Avery, Wisconsin State Senator
• Stan Barnes, judge, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
• Virgil H. Cady, Wisconsin State Representative
• Tiny Cahoon, NFL player
• Jorge A. Carow, Wisconsin State Representative
• Ella D. Crawford, temperance movement organizer
• John V. Diener, mayor of Green Bay, Wisconsin
• Evan Alfred Evans, judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals
• Evan Glodell, film director, producer, writer, and actor
• Elna Jane Hilliard Grahn, educator
• Henry C. Hansbrough, U.S. Senator from North Dakota
• John R. Hofstatter, Wisconsin State Representative
• Guy E. Holmes, musician and composer
• John J. Jenkins, U.S. Representative
• Robert J. Keller, Wisconsin State Representative
• Alan and Dale Klapmeier, founders of Cirrus Aircraft
• Len Koenecke, MLB player
• Belle Case La Follette, lawyer and activist
• Nancy Lange, First Lady of Peru
• Louise M. Lawson (1855–1951), president, Wisconsin State Woman's Christian Temperance Union
• Aldo Leopold, naturalist
• Daryl Morey, former general manager of the Houston Rockets (2007–2020), currently the president of basketball operations for the Philadelphia 76ers
• Mary Mortimer (1816–1877), British-born American educator
• Beryl Newman, Medal of Honor recipient
• John Ringling North, president and director of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
• Stuart Palmer, mystery novelist
• Delando Pratt, Wisconsin State Representative
• Mike Reinfeldt, NFL player and executive
• Cyrus Remington, Wisconsin State Representative and jurist
• Bradbury Robinson, threw the first forward pass in football history, grew up in Baraboo
• Algie Martin Simons, socialist newspaper editor, attended high school in Baraboo
• Terry Stieve, NFL player
• Walter Terry, Wisconsin legislator
• John M. True, Wisconsin legislator
• C. F. Viebahn, Wisconsin State Representative
• David Vittum, Wisconsin State Senator[http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/wch/id/4073/rec/9 The History of Sauk County, Wisconsin], Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1880, p. 437.
• Lewis N. Wood, Wisconsin State Representative
• Edwin E. Woodman, Wisconsin State Senator

{{colend}}

{{Reflist}}

{{commons category|Baraboo, Wisconsin}}

{{EB1911 poster|Baraboo}}

• [http://www.cityofbaraboo.com/ City of Baraboo]

{{Sauk County, Wisconsin}}

{{Wisconsin county seats}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Cities in Wisconsin

Category:Cities in Sauk County, Wisconsin

Category:Micropolitan areas of Wisconsin

Category:County seats in Wisconsin

Category:Populated places established in 1838

Category:1838 establishments in Wisconsin Territory