Baraboo, Wisconsin

Baraboo is the largest city in and the county seat of Sauk County, Wisconsin, located along the Baraboo River. Its 2007 estimated population was 11,550. Baraboo is home to the Circus World Museum, the former headquarters and winter home of the Ringling Brothers circus and now the largest library of circus information in the United States. This living museum has a collection of circus wagons, and occasionally hosts the Great Circus Parade of these artifacts through the streets of Baraboo. The Al. Ringling Theatre is an active landmark in the city. This grand scale movie palace is larger and more elaborate than one would normally find in a town the size of Baraboo, owing to the financial assistance of the Ringling family. The Al Ringling home still exists and is maintained in good condition. Baraboo is also home to the International Crane Foundation, an organization dedicated to the study and conservation of the world's 15 species of crane. Aldo Leopold's famous Shack and Farm, celebrated in A Sand County Almanac is also in the Baraboo vicinity.