Baraboo weekly news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1912-197?, 1925-09-10
BARABOO, CITY
OF BEAUTIFUL
Visitor Much Pleased
With Sights Here
Writes About them


Cone, who visited Baraboo a short
time ago is the writer:
10y William S. Gomez
Baraboo, the Beautiful! Here
lies in retirement "Bunn the Bak
er Of RaIaboo," made famous by
the late B. +. T. in the Chicago Tri-
bune. Here also the Ringing
Bros had their winter headquar-
ters for their famous shows. Sever
al of the Ringing Brothers have
fine homes here, and one sister has
given her paiatial home to the city,
and it is now a hospital. The
asphalt streets are clean and wide,
the homes and lawns well kept, and
even the automatic electric traffic
tower at the court house square
greets you with a smile, rather than
a forbidding frnwn. In every dir
ection good roads lead to interest
ing localities The chief Of police
seems to have been chosen, as the
Indians of old, for his stalwart pro-
portions, and his complacent self
confidence and homishing seIf-es-
TEEN.
We visited Parfrey's Glen, some
Is miles southeast, and the valley
narrowed as it entered the bosom
Of encircling hills, the cliffs Of red
sandstone drew nearer together, till
they seemed to join hands high ov-
er our heads Wind and weather
had carved them into fantastic shap
es, and the trees which maintain
their precarlous hold on the cliff
sides, send their roots many feet
down the rough rocky sides, in
search Of sustenance in the soil at
the water side The shaded sun
light and darkened caves, seem
TO invite the elves and fairies to
their playground while the tower.
ing rocks form the portals to Fairy.
land.
Nearby is Durward's Gorge, which
besides its scenic beauty, is renown
ed as the Durward family, the men
deyout priests Here years
ago the first Father Durward erect
ed a stone chapel, and on the hill
side leading to the leafy embor-
dered glen, were placed IA prayer
stations, each embelHshed by
painting of some phase of the Say.
tours Passion, painted by the good
priest himself "A sister still lives
in the weathered house, with its
smiling flower gardens, half neg
lected, in front, and hardly in
stone chapel squarely built, is
number of relics of the former
Fathers. The remaining sister,
her advanced years resting lightly
upon her met ms with pleasant
greeting, aud without fulsome
prais talked earnestly and intelli-
gently about her famous brothers
and father, and showed us the rel
les.
1t is a beautifully solemn valley,
with it's cold water spring, arched
over with marble, carved with holy
texts, while almost hidden among
the leafy trees on the hillside is a
white marble statue of the Virgin
1t is arranged that the X. Of G. will
preserve the holy place after the
remaining sister has passed on to
meet her brothers
Away over southwest is Natural
Bridge, a stone arch of 30 feet span
and standing Is feet high in the
center but curiously, it stands on
the brow Of a high hill, instead Of in
a valley as we expected. AS q
bridge it is distinct failure, but
a success as a very unique rock for
nation.
Mirror Lake, near Kilbourn, is
a body of water winding up a mar
row valley with miniature cliffs and
forests, reflected from the clear
surface of the water But best of
all is Devils Lake, four miles south,
and connected with the city by a
fine concrete road, the Warner Me
mortal Highway built with money
left for that purpose, provided for
in his will. AS you wind down the
easy grades into the State Park,
you approach the lake.
The lake itself is beautiful; not
large probably a mile long and
half as wide with rugged hills
around it, The Indians named it,
probably believing it to be bottom
less, as the water is very deep. No
inlet, no outlet just a clear sur
faced, limpid lake, of constant lev
ell.
Except on the northeast and