Why Baraboo is hands-down the most haunted city in Wisconsin
With its spooky inns, famous ghosts, and eerie natural wonders, Baraboo is hands-down the most haunted city in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin is no stranger to ghost stories. From its big cities, like Milwaukee and Madison, to its small towns, there seem to be spooky tales of hauntings all throughout the state. But few cities have as many varied and frightening ghost stories as Baraboo, a city in south central Wisconsin that’s best known for its lengthy circus history.
The city, which houses the World Circus Museum and served as the home of the Ringling Brothers Circus, has its fair share of reported hauntings and ghost sightings. While many cities throughout the state are reportedly haunted by deceased people, Baraboo, in addition to its notable ghosts and haunted houses, is also said to be home to several ghost animals, including wolves along the Baraboo River and elephants that formerly belonged to the city’s many circuses.
From animal ghosts to its haunted mansions and eerie nearby lakes, Baraboo is arguably the most haunted city in Wisconsin, with plenty of stories to help prove that point.
Where is Baraboo?
Sitting alongside the Baraboo River, Baraboo, Wisc. is the county seat of Sauk County, and lies in the southern part of the state. Baraboo is located near Wisconsin Dells, and can be accessed by State Highways 33, 113, and 136, as well as U.S. Route 12 and Interstate 90/94. The city can also be reached by the Baraboo-Wisconsin Dells Airport and by Megabus, which offers services from six different locations in Wisconsin.
What’s Baraboo’s history?
Four centuries ago, the area that’s now Baraboo was called home first by the Kickapoo people, with European settlers starting to move in during the 19th century. In 1852, the area was named Baraboo, after the neighboring Baraboo River, and it also became the county seat of Sauk County around that time.
One of the largest developments in the city’s history occurred when the Ringling family moved to Baraboo in the late 1800s, giving their first performance as the Ringling Brothers Circus in 1884. The brothers’ success brought in other competing circuses, and Baraboo eventually claimed the nickname “Circus City.”
Baraboo River’s Ghost Wolves
After its last dam was removed in 2001, the Baraboo River, for which the city is named, became one of the longest free-flowing rivers in the United States. While that’s not inherently spooky on its own, a guide from Baraboo Tours suggests that the lengthy, free-flowing river might be the reason the city has such a reputation for being haunted, as rivers “contain energy with them.”
Some of that energy might be from wolves that have been reportedly heard along the river. But unlike the typical howling of wolves, the howling in Baraboo is a bit more eerie, because it comes from ghost wolves, according to the guide. Outside of the wolves living at Baraboo’s Ochsner Park Zoo, there are no living wolves in the city, but a few wolves can be heard howling along the river on clear nights.
A Ghostly Elephant
Wolves aren’t the only animal that haunts the city of Baraboo. Due to the city’s circus history, many animals have passed through it, including some ghostly elephants that have reportedly never left. During the 19th century, the Ringling family, which would become well-known for their circus, moved from Prairie du Chien to Baraboo and founded the Ringling Brothers Circus in the city in 1884 by five of the Ringling brothers. Due to the booming popularity of the circus, several other circus companies established themselves in the city, leading to Baraboo’s nickname “Circus City.”
Many of the circuses utilized animals in their performances, and one of those animals is rumored to haunt the city. In 1953, an article published by Fate Magazine talked about a ghost elephant in Baraboo that completely destroyed a barn and damaged a house. Some have theorized that the animal’s spirit was set on revenge against the family of a man who used to torture it, according to the Pine Barrens Institute, a Janesville-based cryptozoological reference website.
Old Baraboo Inn
The Old Baraboo Inn is one of the most historic buildings in Baraboo, and like all old buildings, it has its fair share of ghost stories. The historic inn, which was built in 1864, has served as a boarding house, saloon, bar, grill, and brothel over the years, earning a reputation as one of the most haunted spots in the city. Visitors have reported hearing disembodied voices, having items turn on and off on their own, and even seeing apparitions of elderly women, elderly men, and saloon dancers at the inn. The voice of Al Capone, who used to frequent the inn, has also reportedly been captured as an EVP, or electronic voice phenomena.
Now, the historic inn instead operates as a speakeasy-themed saloon bar that offers food and drinks. It also serves as an event space, and the Old Baraboo Inn regularly offers ghost tours of the property for those brave enough to attend, often hosted by mediums, psychics, and self-professed ghostbusters. The inn is open Thursday through Sunday.
Devil’s Lake
Devil’s Lake is more than just a creepy name. The lake, which is part of Devil’s Lake State Park just south of Baraboo, is also rumored to be haunted. There have been stories of a Native American ghost who rides through the lake on a canoe. Other spots in the park have been the source of EVP readings, or electronic voice phenomena.
It’s not just ghosts that are reported to be haunting Devil’s Lake, but there are also reportedly several creepy creatures that call the area home, including the Devil’s Lake sea monster. Rumors of a monster that lives in the waters of the 374-acre lake have circulated for decades, and some visitors have claimed to spot something unusual lurking in the water.
Ringling’s Ghost
One of the most famous mansions in Baraboo belonged to one of the city’s most famous residents—Albrecht C. Ringling, the eldest Ringling brother. When the house, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was first built in 1906, Ringling Brothers Circus was the most popular circus throughout the country. The home remained in the Ringling family for three decades, until it was sold in 1936, two decades after the eldest Ringling died at the age of 63.
Even though the Ringling family no longer owns the home, it’s said that the circus owner never actually left the grounds. Visitors to the mansion have said that the spirit of Albrecht C. Ringling still lingers. The home, now operating as a museum and a brewery, regularly offers ghost tours for a chance to encounter the famous brother.
Are there ghost tours?
If Baraboo residents or visitors want to experience the hauntings for themselves, there are plenty of opportunities to go on a ghost tour throughout the city. Baraboo Tours offers five different tours of the city, including a haunted downtown walk throughout September and October. Wisconsin Dells Trolley Tours also offers a haunted tour of the city, which stops by the Charles Ringling Mansion and Walnut Hill Cemetery, where many members of the Ringling family are buried. The Old Baraboo Inn regularly hosts ghost tours of the property, occasionally hosted by psychics and mediums, and so does the AL. Ringling Mansion.
Our stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.
