Baraboo: circus city stories

Exploring Baraboo’s History, Heritage & Hidden Gems

Welcome to Baraboo—a small city with a massive story! Once the winter home of the “Greatest Show on Earth,” Baraboo has been a crossroads of Indigenous resilience, circus innovation, and community spirit for centuries. But there’s more to this place than big tops and elephants. From sacred effigy mounds to opulent theaters, this landscape tells stories most people never hear.

Your mission? Track down hidden histories, document cultural landmarks, and uncover the voices that shaped this community—from the Ho‑Chunk people who called this land home for millennia to the showmen who put Baraboo on the map.