History of Winona, Minnesota facts for kids
The history of Winona, Minnesota starts with its founding in 1851. Back then, it was part of the Minnesota Territory on the west side of the Mississippi River. Before it was called Winona, the area was home to the village of Keoxa, where the Dakota people lived. The name "Winona" comes from a Dakota word meaning "first-born daughter."
The city was built on a sandbar near the Mississippi River, surrounded by river lowlands and wooded bluffs. Experts like archaeologists have found clues that people lived in this valley a very long time ago, possibly as early as 9500 B.C. The oldest signs of people living in Winona County come from a Woodland period site, dating from about 800 B.C. to 900 A.D.
Winona was officially planned and settled in 1851. A bridge was built across the Mississippi River for trains in 1871. The city continued to grow with industries and its busy port throughout the 1800s and 1900s.
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How the Mississippi River Shaped Winona
Long, long ago, a huge river called the Glacial River Warren flowed through central North America. This river drained a massive ancient lake called Lake Agassiz. This happened between about 13,500 and 10,650 years ago.
The powerful river created a very wide valley. Over time, this valley filled with sediment from glaciers, forming the flat floodplain we see today. The Trempealeau River also flows into the Mississippi just below the Winona area.
Native American History in Winona
The city of Winona was built on the site of a Native American village called Keoxa. This village was the home of a Mdewakanton band, part of the eastern Sioux nation, led by the Wapasha family.
During the summer, the people of Keoxa lived in homes made from bark, supported by a frame of poles. In winter, they used teepees. These teepees were usually about 12 feet (4 meters) tall and 10 to 12 feet (3 to 4 meters) wide. They were made from about 8 buffalo hides sewn together with deer sinew. A fire in the middle kept the teepee warm, even in the coldest weather.
European American Settlers Arrive
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1860 | 2,464 | — | |
| 1870 | 7,192 | 191.9% | |
| 1880 | 10,208 | 41.9% | |
| 1890 | 18,208 | 78.4% | |
| 1900 | 19,714 | 8.3% | |
| 1910 | 18,583 | −5.7% | |
| 1920 | 19,143 | 3.0% | |
| 1930 | 20,850 | 8.9% | |
| 1940 | 22,490 | 7.9% | |
| 1950 | 25,031 | 11.3% | |
| 1960 | 24,895 | −0.5% | |
| 1970 | 26,438 | 6.2% | |
| 1980 | 25,075 | −5.2% | |
| 1990 | 25,399 | 1.3% | |
| 2000 | 27,069 | 6.6% | |
| 2010 | 27,592 | 1.9% | |
| 2017 (est.) | 26,928 | −2.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 2015 Estimate |
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In 1805, Lieutenant Zebulon Pike explored the Mississippi River. He was looking for its source. On September 14, 1805, he reached an island near what would become Winona. He wrote about the area in his journal. Pike's journal also mentions the legend of Winona, a young Dakota woman. She chose death rather than marry someone she did not want. The name "Winona" comes from the Dakota language word we-no-nah, meaning "first-born daughter."
In 1851, Captain Orrin Smith chose Pike's island 72 as a good spot for a town. Smith had been sailing the Mississippi River for over 25 years. He owned and piloted a riverboat called the Nominee. Smith knew that new treaties would open up land for settlement. He realized there would be a rush to build towns on the river's east side.
On October 15, 1851, Smith sent three men to claim the riverfront land. When the town was surveyed in 1852, it was first named "Montezuma." Later, in 1853, Henry D. Huff bought a share in the town. With Smith's agreement, he changed the name to Winona.
The town grew very quickly in the 1800s. Many of the first settlers were from New England. The population jumped from 815 in December 1855 to 3,000 in December 1856. German immigrants also arrived in 1856.
Germans and New Englanders worked together. They planted trees and built businesses based on lumber, wheat, steamboats, and railroads. They were so successful that for a time, Winona had more millionaires than any other city its size in the United States. In 1860, Winona had 2,456 people. It was the third-largest city in Minnesota until the late 1880s. Winona became an official city in 1857.
In 1859, the first Kashubian Polish family, the Bronks, arrived in Winona. Many more Kashubians followed them. Winona became the biggest center for Kashubian people outside of their homeland. Around 1900, a Kashubian poet named Hieronim Derdowski lived in Winona. He estimated that 4,000 of Winona's 5,000 Polish residents were Kashubians. This earned Winona the nickname "Kashubian Capital of America." Over time, Winona's Kashubians blended in with other Polish Americans. Recently, the Polish Cultural Institute and Museum has helped bring back awareness of Winona's Kashubian culture.
Winona's Industrial Growth
Winona's growth was powered by its railway and steamboat transportation. It also thrived on wheat milling and the lumber industry. In 1856, more than 1,300 steamboats stopped in Winona.
The Winona and St. Peter Railroad began building tracks. The first 11 miles (18 km) from Winona to Stockton, Minnesota, were finished by the end of 1862. This made it the second working railroad in Minnesota. In December 1870, the Mississippi River was bridged at Winona by the Winona Rail Bridge.
The railway system kept growing. The Winona Green Bay and Western Rail Bridge was the second train bridge over the Mississippi at Winona. It was made of steel and iron and had a part that could swing open for boats. The first train crossed this bridge on July 4, 1891. It was used for 94 years until it closed in 1985 and was taken down in 1990. In 1892, a steel bridge for wagons and cars was built over the Mississippi. It charged a toll and was used until 1942.
During the 1860s, southern Minnesota was a major wheat-producing area. Winona was the main port for shipping Minnesota wheat. By 1870, Winona was the fourth-largest wheat shipping port in the United States. Bay State Milling, a company that still operates today, was founded in 1899.
John Laird started the first lumber mill in Winona in 1855. Later, his cousins James and Matthew Norton joined him to form the Laird-Norton Co. Winona's sawmills reached their highest production in 1892. They produced over 160 million board feet (380,000 cubic meters) of lumber each year. This made them eighth in lumber production in the upper Midwest.
Famous People and Places
A well-known person from Winona was J. R. Watkins. In 1868, he started Watkins Incorporated and invented the "money-back guarantee." In the early 1900s, he renamed his company the J. R. Watkins Medical Company. He passed away before the company's current factory and offices were finished in 1911. Now called J. R. Watkins Incorporated, it is one of the oldest companies in the country. The company's museum and factory are open for visitors.
For ten years (1907–1917), Winona was home to Carl Ruggles, an important American composer. Carl Ruggles was born in Massachusetts in 1876. He was a violinist and studied music in Boston. In 1907, he moved to Winona. There, he started and conducted the Winona Symphony for a decade. He also gave music lessons, composed, and began painting. Ruggles is often mentioned alongside another famous composer, Charles Ives.
In 1947, the Edstrom brothers (Harold and Everett) and Roger Busdicker started the Hal Leonard Corporation. Today, it is the largest publisher of sheet music in the world.
Winona's population reached 19,714 in 1900. However, it declined for some years after the lumber industry slowed down.
Many places in Winona are listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in Winona County, Minnesota. The city of Winona has two historic districts on the National Register: the Winona Commercial Historic District and East Second Street Commercial Historic District. These are managed together by the city's Heritage Preservation Commission.
