The Baraboo news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1884-1911, 1908-11-19
SAUK COUNTV'S
FINE COLLECTION
II Ur OF HISTORICAL SOCIETY
AN OBJECT OF STATE IN
TEREST
ATTRACTS VISITORS FROM AFFAIR
Particularly Valuable in Relics of In
dian Times and of the Pioneer
Era
ATTRACTS VISITORS FROM AFFAIR
Madison JOurn all

Most interesting of the smaller mu.
seums of Wisconsin is that of the
Sauk County Historical Society, an
organization affiliated with the State
Historical Society. This museum is
only three years old yet Sauk county
people are already proud of the pro-
gress which it has made. 1t occupies
at the present time several rooms in
the basement of the new court house
at BarabOo, which quarters it has now
nearly outgroWn. In archaeological
specimens and in relics of pioneer
days no Wisconsin river county is
richer than Sauk and many of it's citi-
zens have shown genuine interest
by placing in the Baraboo museums
care such treasures as they possessed,
the like of many of which are not TO
be seen in any similar institution in
the state. Others if one may judge
from the published monthly donations
and deposits list are rapidly following
this example of public spirit. The COL
lectiOns assembled in it's rooms are al
ready of such character as to merit
the attention of all visitors to that
city.
Three table cases and several wall
frames are devoted to a collection of
indian stone, bone, clay andImetal i'm
plements, utensils and ornaments.
Included therein are flint implements,
axes, hatchets, hammers, netweights,
pestles, chisels, spuds, pipes, discOil
dals, bone and antler avis, ornaments
and other specimens of interest. The
greater number of Sthese are from To-
cal village sites and burial places, and
give an excellent opportunity for the
study of early Indian life in this Sec
tlon of the state.
A collection of peculiar interest con-
sists of a quite large assortment Of
handsome pioneer iron tools and it,
cludes hoes, hammers, axes, nails,
Wrenches, knives, chisels, braces, au-
gers, buttresses and other tools of curl
Gus form, the work Of pioneer black
smiths and cutters. The @odd and
primitive character Of some of The
specimens hold the attention of the
visitor.
In another case is a fine series Cf
fintlOck and percussioncap guns and
pistols, powder horns and TASKS, bull
let-molds cap-boXes, ranlrods and
Others necessary equipment of the pio-
neer hunter and soldier. Pioneer his
tory is also eXcellently illustrated in
other cases and on he walls and floor
spaces by the presence of old fashioned
musical instruments, cooking utensils,
stone, porcelain and pewter ware, long
handled warming pans, spinning and
flax wheels, yarn reels, wool carding
combs, candle molds, agricultural al i'm
plementS, lanterns, candlesticks, strike
a-lighSs, playing cards, burden yokes,
tar buckets, currency, books and other
objects of this period, all of them care
fully labeled with full information
concerning the manner of their use.
The museum also possesses good COL
lection of photographs of persons and
places of historic interest, drawings,
maps and manuscript materials, civil
war relics, and some American Indian
and Philippine chronological specimens.
The Page collections of polished river
shells, and of onyx carvings are of
great beauty.