While sorting through fossil and geology boxes in one of our storage areas, a volunteer and I recently relocated a donation from 1916 that I had only briefly read about in our old record books…a tooth from a wooly mammoth! This tooth was discovered in November of 1913 by August Platt (an early ice dealer in Baraboo), his son Harold, Julius Hass, and others while hauling gravel from near the Baraboo River in Lyons (now West Baraboo).

In December 2023, just in time for the holidays, a beautiful grandfather clock returned to Baraboo and its new home at the Van Orden Mansion. The clock was donated by Andy Daigneault of Portage House of Clocks, who had kept the clock in his shop for over 30 years in hopes that it would some day return to Baraboo.

As communities grow and change, existing businesses often have to make way for new industries and shops. Occasionally, a business remains throughout these changes, and becomes a fixture in the landscape. Downtown Baraboo, in particular, is fortunate to have several businesses that have remained steadfast over time. Of note, is the First National Bank & Trust (later Wells Fargo), previously on the corner of Oak and 3rd Streets. 

Commonwealth Telephone Company was a larger organization (like Verizon) that operated through smaller local companies. In Reedsburg, the company was sometimes referred to as the Reedsburg Telephone Company.  Glenn Boyd started with Commonwealth in 1913, and worked as a lineman/installer until his retirement in 1947. 

What particularly caught my eye was the gold satin gown made for Harriet’s graduation. Harriet graduated from Baraboo HIgh School in 1936, where this gold gown would have fit in beautifully with the blue and gold of the school’s colors. As Harriet was a tall woman at 5’10”, she would’ve looked very elegant in the floor length gown.

As historians, we love exploring the lives of people that have come before us, what they accomplished, and how they shaped their communities. As curator, I’m particularly drawn to how the physical items tell someone's life story or even just provide a small glimpse. Our collection contains stories of numerous different people from around Sauk County. Lately, I have particularly been interested in the life of Arthur Boettcher, a long time resident of Baraboo.

While organizing and moving records over to our History Center, museum staff came across a box of weather records kept by Baraboo doctor and founder of the Corner Drug Store, B.F. Mills. These records date from 1850-1853 and contain tables of meteorological data and correspondence between B.F. Mills and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C.

As this year’s exhibit “Artists and Artisans” draws to a close, I would be remiss not to highlight the beautiful quilts we have on display, with even more in our collection. These quilts serve a variety of purposes and tell a myriad of stories. Quilts were created to provide warmth, decorate a space, and to commemorate an event or tell a story.

On occasion, donations come in where the history of an item has been meticulously kept and details recorded by family members. In 2015 a small undecorated trunk was donated to the Historical Society, with a detailed history that dated back to the 1820s. This trunk was (at the time) almost 200 years old!.

Artists often draw inspiration from the world around them to create their craft, sometimes using found materials in a different context. Our exhibit, “Artists and Artisans”, showcases a range of different materials an artist may choose to work with.

In 1905, the Ringling Brothers Circus built a traveling show based on the historic spectacle called, “The Field of the Cloth of Gold”. This performance, by the same name, is said to have featured over 1200 actors, lavish costumes, animals, and portrayals of riches beyond measure.

Multiple hand-carved items are present in our collection, with some of the most detailed work coming from Louis J. Claude and his former home at Devil’s Lake “Eagle Crag”.

Basket making has been fundamental to Indigenous Peoples’ culture since ancient tribes began the practice thousands of years ago. Baskets were created for many purposes depending on the needs of the tribe, with styles ranging from simple and functional to highly decorated.

World War 1, also known as The Great War, impacted families from all over the globe. Over 1500 men joined from Sauk County, many of them were prior members of the Wisconsin National Guard that were sent into military service in Europe. One of these men was Otto Ritzenthaler of Baraboo.

While examining the uniform, SCHS staff were looking through the pockets and found a folded piece of paper. This paper turned out to be a program for one of the shows held at the Ringling Theater around 1916, a movie called “Fighting Blood” with actor William Farnum.

While boxing photo albums to bring back to the History Center, we came across a small nondescript album by H.E. Cole, the same man who founded the Sauk County Historical Society! The album contains photos of the Baraboo area from the late 1800s/early 1900s, including several natural scenes, but also more personal images of his daily life.