The Ringling Winter Quarters and the Baraboo River

The Ringling Winter Quarters and the Baraboo River. . Between 1886 and 1918 the Ringling Bros. Circus occupied at least 22 winter quarters buildings in the Ringlingville area along the north side of the Baraboo River as well as a railroad car shop on the south side of the river six blocks to the west. Ten of these buildings still stand today and eight of them are now part of Circus World Museum., During the era of the Ringling occupancy the river was wider and the level higher than it is today. The Waterworks dam, once located one-half mile downstream, created a pool of water through the Ringlingville area. Another dam was one-third mile upstream near Oak Street. The power of the Baraboo River was harnessed as early as 1839 when the predecessor to the Waterworks dam was built. Eventually there were five dams in the Baraboo area taming the five miles of white water that provided power for seventeen mills., The Waterworks dam was removed in 1998. Its removal further exposed the remains of a suspension footbridge (just upstream). During the Ringling era the footbridge allowed residents and workers to cross the river to the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad yards.