The

Winona’s Golden Age: 1865-1895 This article features excerpts from the full one written by William Crozier, first printed in the Winona County Historical Society’s “Chronicles” Vol. 8, No. 2 of 1989. During the later half of the 19th century Winona was booming and a flood of immigrants poured in to fill the demand for jobs and to acquire new land. Be sure to stop in the History Center to view the exhibit, “New Land, New Life” and to learn more about Winona’s Golden Age.

Winona, founded in October 1851, had rapid early and sustained growth until the turn of the century. In 1855 there were 813 people living in Winona. On the eve of the Civil War there were 2,464 Winonans, only one hundred less people than lived in Minneapolis. By 1880 the population of the town was over 10,000. Two decades later the size of the city had almost doubled to 19,714. By 1905 Wi-nona reached its initial population peak at 20,821.

Winona’s initial economic infrastructure, which laid the foundation for the city’s “Golden Age”, was built on an efficient transportation system, wheat milling and lumber. In 1856 over 1,300 steamboats stopped at the bustling town of Winona. Thirty years later over 2,500 passed the rivertown, which now depended primar-

ily on the railroad for transportation and communication with its hinterland and the rest of the nation. By 1900 Winonans had daily rail service to Chicago, Kansas City, Green Bay and St. Paul-Minneapolis. During the 1860s Southern Minnesota was the greatest wheat producing region in the country and Winona was the main port for shipping Minnesota wheat. By 1870 Winona was the fourth largest wheat shipping port in the United States. In the 1880s the Minneapolis mills offered better prices, changes in agriculture, and the booming lumber industry led to the decline of the wheat industry for Winona. The lumber business continued to expand throughout the last quarter of the 19th century. Winona’s lumber companies al-ways ranked in the top fifty in the upper midwest. The sawmills reached their peak in 1892 when they produced over 160 million board feet annually and ranked eighth in production of lumber in Minne-sota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

Businessmen wanted to establish a more secure economic foundation for the city instead of depending on a few major industries. Thousands of wagons were produced and sold around the world by the Winona Wagon Works. The Winona Plow Co. and the Winona Harvester Co. manufactured farm implements, the Union

Fibre Co. used waste materials from the sawmills for refrigerator packing and the Chicago & Northwestern built engine and car shops and two round houses in the city. Other firms in the city manufactured everything from fine carriages to lightning rods.

Winona boosters had set a popula-tion goal of 50,000 for their city. Even though the population never did reach that number, the city did become a major economic, educational, cultural, religious and political center. The growth and development of Winona is often seen as the work of a few important men and their families. But the real strength of the city was not as much in its leaders as it was in the ordinary people. The factory workers, homemakers, clerks, laundresses, and day laborers whose work built up the city were not marked by history. The great majority of Winonans will never be mentioned in the history books but it is the lives of these people, the ordinary people, that is the real stuff of history.

The ArgusWinona County Historical Society160 Johnson StreetWinona, MN 55987

Address Service Requested

Non - ProfitU.S. Postage

PAIDPermit # 87Winona, MN

55987 Argus Winona County Historical Society NewsletterVolume 16, No. 1 January/February 2015

photo by Paul Crosby

Board MembersPeter Walsh, PresidentBruce Montplaisir, VP

Rick Christenson, TreasurerJonelle Moore, ex officio Secretary Michelle Alexander, City Council

Tom BremerSandra Burke

Jerome ChristensonMargaret Johnson

Mena KaehlerTerri Lieder

Mark MetzlerPatrick MarekMary NelsonMary Polus

Jim PomeroyMike SlaggieLeRoy TelstadCindy Timm

StaffMark F. Peterson, Director

507-454-2723 ext. 1director@winonahistory.org

Jennifer Weaver, Asst. Director507-454-2723 ext. 3

assistdir@winonahistory.org

Joyce Betz, Receptionist507-454-2723 ext. 0

desk@winonahistory.org

Jodi Brom, Curator507-454-2723 ext. 4

curator@winonahistory.org

Walter Bennick, Archivist507-454-2723 ext. 2

archives@winonahistory.org

Andy Bloedorn, Archivist507-454-2723 ext. 2

archives@winonahistory.org

Todd McAllister, Maintenance507-454-2723 ext. 0

Ann Kendrick, Membershipmembership@winonahistory.org

Laurie Lucas, Rental Coord.507-452-6609

rentals@winonahistory.org

History Never Stops by Mark F. Peterson, Executive Director

Happy New Year!

Looking back on 2014 overall we had a very good year...

• We began the process of moving buildings to the County Fairgrounds. Though the prop-erty hasn’t sold yet, and it needs to in order for us to build a new pole building at the fairgrounds, I’m hopeful it will soon and we can have everything in place for the County Fair and Gladiolus Days this summer.

• We recently received word we will re-ceive a $70,100 Partnership Grant from the Legacy funds to partner with Theatre du Mis-sissippi for live performances at the Bunnell House this summer. We have been looking for a way to make the interpretation there more interesting and fresh and think we have found a way to do it.

• We did nine boat tours this past year on the new Cal Fremling and each one sold out. We have already planned an ambitious schedule for 2015.

• Our annual special events were all success-ful and our new John Latsch Week went very well.

• The Society offered a great variety of new exhibits including the very popular Art of Fine Furniture.

• We again offered a huge amount of

monthly programming that was very well received by the public.

• The rentals for our facility grew by almost 100% during 2014. They have grown every year since the addition opened with very little advertising other than word of mouth. Much of this is due to our rental coordinator Laurie Lucas who was honored at our Heri-tage Dinner this year.

• Over 23,000 artifacts have been invento-ried thanks to a Legacy grant we received. The project is on schedule to be completed by the end of June.

• The Society purchased a small property adjacent to our property that had been Buck’s Candy Shop. The property became available and the board thought it would be prudent to own should we decide to expand again in the future.

• The groundwork was laid for building our endowment funds over the next few years.

Those are just some of the highlights. Be assured your board and staff are working hard to keep the Society moving forward.

Thank you for your membership and support.

Winona County History Center160 Johnson St., Winona, MN 55987Open: Weekdays 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Sunday 12 - 4 p.m.Laird Lucas Library & Archives; Open: Weekdays 10 a.m. - 12 & 1 - 5 p.m.

The Willard Bunnell House Off Hwy 61, Homer, MN; Open Summers.Rural Heritage Museum Winona County Fairgrounds; Opening Soon!

Membership & Donations Thank You for Your Support!

Business Partner Renewals Heart’s Desire, Inc; Hiawatha Broadband Comm.; Kendell Lumber.New Members Deborah Barber; James & Maribeth Bedtke; Tom & Donna Buck, Holmen, WI; Randall & Marsha Burgett; Jodi Dansingburg; Loretta Davis; Judy Ellinghuysen, Altura, MN; Susan Jensen Gilman; Mark & Jean Hindermann, Pine Island, MN; David & Ann Kohner; Barry & Kim McRaith, Minnesota City, MN; Keith & Becky Nelton; Ann Lavine & Kevin Possin; Gerald & Tarrell Port-man; RTP Company; Julie Anne Prondzinski; David Schulz & Connie Miller; Cindy Scudiero; Rick & Michele Speltz, Altura, MN; Tara Welch; Winona Rental.

Renewals John & Janice Ambuhl; James & Laura Armstrong; Kathleen Barber; Eric & Cathy Bartleson; Barbara Bass; Kristine Beck, Fountain City, WI; Dave Belz; Sharon Nissen Beseler, Maquoketa, IA; Betty Lou Bierly, LaCrosse, WI; Scott & Jane Biesanz; Jon Bitu; Jean Billman; Clifford & Jeanine Black; Rose Boland; Pat Bronner; Patrick R. Burns, LaCrescent, MN; Dr. David & Kathy Chris-tenson; Catherine Clair, Minneapolis, MN; Bob Cloeter; Mary Crandall, Austin, MN; Sheila Cunningham; Judy & Bill Davis; Patricia Dennis; Rex & Mary Dodson; Diane M. Ebert; Kent & Dawn Erdmann; Ruth Erickson; O.J. & Karen Fawcett; Greg Gaut & Marsha Neff; Kathie Geiger; Charlotte Gepner; Carolyn K. Goplen; Julie Gingras; John Gregoire, St. Charles, MN; Dave Herber; Chip & Joan Hinds; Marian Hopkins; Marguerite Hundt; Elizabeth Indra; Shari & Clare Jarvis; Richard H. Kalabrener, Honolulu, HI; Nadine Kanz; Peg & Paul Kilkus; Harland P. & Pauline Knight; Gayle Koenig, Minnesota City, MN; Bob & Marlene Kohner; Mrs. Violette Lacher; Keith & Virginia Laken; Dr. L Charles & Sandy Landman; Sherry Lange; Don Leaf; Joanne Linnee; Jacqueline Mahlke; Marilyn Maier Gates, Sausalito, CA; Marianne Mastenbrook, Minnesota City, MN; Edwin L. & Judy Maus, Minnesota City, MN; Dr. Thomas & Leone Mauszycki; Joan E. McNeil; Barry & Kim McRaith, Minnesota City, MN; Ruth Meier; Mark & Marsha Metzler; Drew Meyer, Altura, MN; Dieter Mielimonka, Steilacoom, WA; JoAn Moham; Kay Morcomb, Rochester, MN; Drs. Paul G. Morgan & Rita Miller; Mary Moxness; Paul S. Mueller, Rochester, MN; Arlene Neitzke; James D. & Robyn Nelson; Stephen Nett; Jon C. Nienow, Lewiston, MN; Dr. Mary E. Nilles, Rollingstone, MN; Doug Nopar & Joann Thomas; A M “Sandy” Oskamp, Cochrane, WI; Nancy & Ron Paine, Rochester, MN; David Pendleton; Don & Donna Peterson; Gerry & Nancy Polson; Kevin & Nancy Quinn; Lynne Rabuse & Paul Kohner; Steve Rader, Rollingstone, MN; Bill & Randi Reinarts; Marijo Reinhard & Steve Bennick; Dominic Ricciotti; Richard & Val-erie Rislow, Lewiston, MN; Louise Robinson & Neal Cuthbert, Minneapolis, MN; Sam & Joan Sasser; Bruce & Kathy Schott, Lewiston, MN; Cay Shea-Hellervik, St. Paul, MN; Karl & Karin Sonneman; Shirley Stanford, Blair, WI; Jeff & Nancy Stevenson, LaCrosse, WI; Kathy Suffrins, Rochester, MN; Wayne & Naomi Theye; Leona Thiele; Marian Thiewes, Belle Plain, MN; Tom & Deborah Thompson; August & Anne Thurmer; Barbara A. Tibor; Brian J. Tomashek; Nancy Vaillancourt, Owatonna, MN; Bernie & Janet Wagnild, Minne-apolis, MN; Cheryl & Greg Weaver, Rollingstone, MN; Nancy A. Wiltgen; Fr. Thomas Winkler; Larry & Colleen Wolner; Judy Yess.

Donations: Ruth Erickson; Laird Norton Company, LLC; Dr. Thomas & Leone Mauszycki; Kathryn & Thomas Ready; Annual Fund Drive: John & Janice Ambuhl, in Memory of Gregory Ambuhl; Dean & Mary Auna; Sandra Bennett; Walt & Bunny Bennick; Jean Billman; Margaret Boland, in Memory of William Donaldson; Rosemary Broughton; Barb Burchill; Rick & Debbie Christenson; Digicom, Inc.; Robert & Barbara DuFresne; James & Mary Eddy; Ruth Erickson, in Memory of Jim Erickson; Mary Farrell; Dr. & Mrs. Arnold W. Fenske, in Memory of Marian Lee; Kathi & Greg Fischer; Timothy Forester, in Memory of Fran Forester Steele; Jim For-sell; Maxine Gabrych, in Memory of Benjamin Ernst; Jean Gardner; Greg Gaut & Marsha Neff; Norma Grausnick; Rainy Griesel, in Memory of Robert Griesel; Mike & Sue Hauser; Rod Henry Jr., in Memory of Ernestine Henry; Leslie & Jo Hittner; Dan & Dorothy Hoyt; Kensington Senior Apts; Richard & Rose Kowles; Laird Norton Family Foundation; Charles Mettille, in Memory of Anita Met-tille; Darlene M. Metzler; Bruce & Mary Beth Montplaisir; Kay Morcomb; Mary & Jan Nelson; Paul & Lori Ness; Doug Nopar & Joann Thomas; Mike & Kathryn Orlowske, in Memory of Joseph L. Orlowske; Gerry & Nancy Polson, in Honor of our wonderful neighbors; Hugh & Mary Polus; Kevin & Nancy Quinn; Tamara Toye Rench, in Memory of the Toye Family; Renata Rislow, in Memory of Harvey Rislow; Barbara Rockwell & Walt Ayotte; Daryl & Mary Rusert, in Honor of Anah & Howard Munson; Chuck & Judy Shepard; John & Charlotte Speltz, in Honor of Phylliss Mae Johnson; Tom & Kathy Suf-frins, in Memory of Wilfred & Betty Davis; T & M of Winona, Inc., Engrav’s Decorat-ing; LeRoy & Cindy Telstad; Bela Trubacek, in Memory of Ivan Trubacek; Peter & Kay Walsh; Dick & Nancy Wheeler.

Trivia Answers 1. Mark Twain; 2. 1967; 3. 1853; 4. Steamboat Days; 5. May 29, 1941 and the steel pieces weighed 19 ½ tons.

Ensure the Future of the Past!Remember the Winona CountyHistorical Society in your estate planning.

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WCHS Museums

photo by Kathy Greden

Laura Davey Laura has been working in the archives on numerous projects. She has been a wonderful ad-dition to the Society. She was born in Lewis, Washington and lived in Germany for three years because her father was in the

Army. She grew up in Junction City, Kansas. She has two daughters. The oldest lives in Casper Wyoming with her three children, Rhiannon, Glory and Anakin. Laura’s youngest lives in Seoul, South Korea and teaches Kin-dergarten. She has been there for three years.

Laura likes to read and enjoys all genres, but really likes fact and fiction books. She also enjoys crafting and a few of her fa-vorites are stamping, card making and jewelry.

She graduated high school in 1976 and went to Cloud County Community College, Geary County Campus, in 2001. She graduated in 2004 and while there she helped set up theirlibrary and also worked at it.

History Center Open HouseSunday, February 8, 12 - 4 p.m.

The events committee is busy planning a great Open House again this year. Each year the History Center is open for a free afternoon of activities, crafts, demonstrations and more.

This year we will have various crafts and activities through-out the museum. In the Archives staff and volunteers will be offering genealogy research tips and information about caring for your family heirlooms. There will be handouts to take with information about caring for your family trea-sures. Special PH pens will be given away (as supplies last) to test your storage materials to see if they are safe for your treasured items at home.

We will have a traveling exhibit at this time that explores the lives of Norwegian Immigrants to Minnesota during 1825 - 1925. Members of the Winona Sons of Norway lodge will help visitors make their own traditional heart woven basket and will host Nisse storytelling and scaven-ger hunts.

A few favorites are still on the schedule, including vintage Valentines in the classroom. Create a special Valentine for someone you love! There will also be plenty of treats, specials in the Museum Shop and more. We will again be

welcoming community organizations and clubs to highlight all the wonderful partners we have in Winona!

It will be a fun afternoon at the History Center, and all for Free! Check our website and the local media for a full schedule closer to February.

Clip and Save CalendarJanuary 1 History Center closed, Happy New Year! 8 Civil War Round Table, 7 p.m.10 New Land, New Life Exhibit Opening, 1 - 3 p.m.12 Quilt Guild, 7 p.m.21 Food For Thought: Birds of Passage with Hal Cropp, 12:05 p.m.24 How to Make Lefse, 10:30 a.m.28 A Page in History: Hector Del Curto, 12:05 p.m.28 Food For Thought: Book Chat, Growing Up on the Mississippi by Kent Stever, 12:05 p.m.

February 8 History Center Open House, 12 - 4 p.m. 9 Quilt Guild, 7 p.m. 12 Civil War Round Table, 7 p.m.18 Food For Thought: History of the Armory with Walt Bennick, 12:05 p.m.20 “BlindSight” Film and Photography Reception, time TBA22 See you at our booth at the Frozen River Film Festival (Feb. 18-22) , 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.25 Food For Thought: Book Chat, The Monuments Men by Robert Edsel, 12:05 p.m.

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Volunteer Spotlight

Winona County Trivia1. What famous American author visited Winona in 1885? Hint: Much of his writings take place on the Mis-sissippi River.

2. In what year was the current Winona High School built?

3. The Treaty of Mendota, which opened the Winona region to white settlement, was signed in what year?

4. During what celebration did The Lady Gay, the only steam boat with a V-paddle wheel in the US in 1970, visit Winona?

5. When was the first steel on the Winona Bridge erected and how much did the pieces weigh?

Answers can be found on page 11

The Laird Lucas Library and Archives Recognized as one of the finest local archives in Min-nesota, the Laird Lucas Library and Archives contains irreplaceable collections of manuscripts, documents and photographs. Professional historians, students and family researchers find this outstanding facility a valu-able resource to fill their needs for research, study and information. If you have ancestors from our area, you may discover your “roots” in this research center. We can provide you with information on how to trace your family tree or assist you with research in most areas of local history.

The Winona County Historical Society Archives are located in the Laird Lucas Library on the lower level of the Winona County History Center. The library read-ing room can accommodate up to ten researchers at a time. The library is non-lending, copies are made for a fee, free wifi.

Check it out for Free during the History Center Open House, Sunday, February 8, 12 - 4 p.m. Get geneal-ogy tips, information and resources for preserving your family archives and heirlooms, and more. OPEN: Weekdays 10 a.m. - Noon & 1 - 5 p.m.Email: archives@winonahistory.org

Biography by Walter BennickCatherine Helen Allison, 1878-1966Superintendent - Winona General Hospital

Catherine Helen Allison, the third of four children born to Ste-phen and Mary (Sinclair) Allison, was born in Port Perry, Durham County, Ontario, Canada on March 1, 1878. Her father was a Port Perry druggist and grandson of Casper and Barbara (Monk) Hoover, a loyalist who had immigrated to Ontario from New York after the Revolutionary War. Catherine, or Kate, grew up in Port Perry and was trained as a nurse at the Toronto, On-tario General Hospital, which was followed with a position as a nurse at the Toronto Hospital for the Incurables.

She was employed as the night supervisor and nursing instructor at Jewish Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1912, she was moved to Proctor, Rutland County, Vermont where she was employed as the superintendent of Proctor Hospital until July of 1918 when she entered the United States Army Nurse Corps and was stationed at the base hospital at Camp Lee in Prince George County, Virginia. Shortly after arriving at Camp Lee, Catherine became a naturalized citizen of the United States. She served at Camp Lee for one year and was discharged from the army in July of 1919.

Following her discharge from the army, at the age of 41 years, Catherine accepted the position of superintendent of the Wi-nona General Hospital, replacing May Smith, who had recently resigned and returned to the J R Watkins Company. Catherine began her employment at the Winona General Hospital on Au-gust 2, 1919, after a year of communications with the hospital board to arrange her employment. In addition to her duties as the hospital superintendent, Catherine was also placed in charge of the hospital’s nurse’s training program. Catherine also brought with her several nurses who had worked with her at Camp Lee.

The Winona General Hospital was twenty-five years old when Catherine was hired. It was a three story building that had been constructed in 1899 near the southeast corner of Wabasha and Lincoln Street. An additional large three story wing had been added to the west in 1917 and included two operating rooms, a laboratory room and an x-ray room. In 1902, a nurse’s home had been built behind the hospital facing Lincoln Street. When Catherine became the superintendent, the hospital had a staff of thirty, the majority being student nurses. With Catherine at the helm, the hospital grew and many im-

provements were made, including a modern steam laundry and the completion of the patient rooms in the new wing. In addition, a third floor was also added to the nurse’s home. Miss Allison was very active in the State Hospital Association, and in 1926 she was elected its second-vice-president. In 1927, a 40-bed addition to the hospital was opened to re-lieve congestion in to older portion. It included a maternity ward and nursery on the fourth floor and the sixth floor was designed for pre-tubercular cases which had an adjoining roof garden. In addition, a new kitchen was included which doubled the capac-ity of the old one

In 1936, Samuel L Prentiss, the board treasurer, sponsored the opening of the Catherine Allison Library at the hospital in a room on the fifth floor that was equipped with standard book shelves and a magazine rack that could hold up to 100 peri-odicals. Later, Mr. Prentiss’s daughters provided an endowment to be used to maintain the library and purchase materials for it. The library was set up because over the years a number of books and magazines had been donated for patient use, with few places to store them. Over 1,200 books were placed in the library and Mrs. Kathryn Fuller organized and catalogue the book according to the Dewey decimal system.

In February of 1940, Catherine Allison took six month leave of absence to care for her mother in Port Perry. Then on July 17, 1940, she resigned her position as superintendent after 21 years of service. She was replaced by Lucille Spencer as the superintendent of nurses and Ephraim S Moe as the hospital administrator under a new reorganization plan.

A year later Catherine’s mother died and Catherine sold her home in Port Perry and moved to St. Louis, Mis-souri where she was employed as the chief medical librarian for the School of Nursing for the St. Louis City Hospi-tal. She remained in St. Louis until 1953 when she resigned at the age of 75 years. From St. Louis, Catherine settled in Toronto, Ontario where she died on Janu-ary 17, 1968 at the age of 89 years due to senility. She left no sur-vivors and her remains where cremated at the Toronto Crematorium.

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On Exhibit NEW Exhibits at the History Center

New Land, New Life: Norwegian Immigration to Minnesota, 1825-1925 January 10 - March 31The St. Paul Sons of Norway Synnove Nordkap lodge has researched and developed this 20-panel exhibit highlighting the history of Norwegian immigration to Minnesota. Winona’s chapter of the Sons of Norway has sponsored the exhibit’s journey to Winona and we are excited to host this interesting look into the lives and traditions of 19th and early 20th century Norwegian immigrants. Artifacts from the Winona County Historical Society’s collection will be featured and local stories of Winona County’s Norwegian immigrants.

Hands On History Gallery Programs: We are excited to announce new exhibit programing that offers an immersing and fun experience with history. Try out historic crafts, skills and learn more about our past by doing things our ancestors did! Activities will be geared for all ages and abilities. Schedule for New Land, New Life How to Make Lefse Saturday, January 24, 10:30 a.m.

Heart Basket Craft and Nisse Scavenger Hunt Sunday, February 8, 12 - 4 p.m. (During Open House, stop by at any time)

2015 Exhibit Schedule Showing this year at the History Center!January 10 - March 22 New Land, New Life

March 30 - June 15 Uh, What’s That?: Marvelous Medical Instruments

June 20 - July 31 The Art of Fine Furniture 2015

August 6 - December 31 We are Winona: The Cultures of Our County

More Around Town@YARNOLOGY You won’t want to miss a chance to meet the amazing Arne and Carlos--the hottest knitting team to come out of Norway. Yarnology in downtown Winona will host an afternoon colorwork class ($75 + materials) and an evening book signing party (cost $10) on January 18. The class is filling fast, but be sure to sign up for the book signing! log on for more yarnologymn.com or call 507.474.9444

From the Archives By Walter Bennick

From left to Right: The Winona General Hospital was first built in 1899, with later additions in 1917 and 1927. The plat of the Winona General Hospital at the corner of Wabasha and Lincoln Streets. The old Winona General Hospital was razed in November of 1963 to make way for an apartment complex, today known as the Heritage Apartments.

Society NewsBunnell House to Reopen this Summer with a New Twist!In partnership with Theatre du Missis-sippi, we will be reopening the His-toric Bunnell House in Homer Minnesota this summer, but with a new twist! Thanks to a grant from the Arts and Cultural Heritage fund of the Minnesota Legacy amendment, we will be bringing history to life through a series of plays going on throughout the house based on the Bunnell’s lives and early settlement of Winona County. The perfor-mances will be produced by Theatre du Mississippi and will be offered throughout the summer. More information and details coming soon!

Educational River Cruises will be Back!We will be offering Educational pro-grams aboard the Cal Fremling Float-ing Classroom every Thursday evening starting June 18 through August 27.

A schedule of programs will be an-nounced in March and special early ticket sales will be available for our members prior to public ticket sales. A few special tours will also be offered throughout the boating season, so stay tuned for more in the next issue of the Argus!

Programs Online: A PilotWe offer many programs through the Food For Thought series and by host-ing evening speakers. We would like to make recordings of these programs and have them available for those that either did not make it, live too far away, have limited mobility, or would like to see the again or share it with a friend. The ques-

tion is though, is there a need? We will be recording this winter’s programs and uploading them to our YouTube channel and will see how many are watched. If it seems that folks use this new resource we will continue with more recordings.

Quilt WinnerLauren Leighton of Winona won the Annual Quilt raffle. The beauti-ful quilt was made and donated by the Winona Area Quilters Guild and machine quilted by Mary Nelson. Thank you all who purchased tickets for this an-nual fundraiser.

House Tour Thank you!The 29th annual House Tour was a great success, raising over $3000! Thank you so much to the event committee members, volunteers, St. John’s Church members, the Fastenal Museum and especially the home owners. Thank you all for going on the tour and for supporting local history.

A Year of Birthdays!2015 is a special year for the Winona County Historical Society! We have sev-eral birthdays this year.

The 100th anniversary of WWI is under-way and this was the time when Winona’s Armory was built. Now, part of the His-tory Center, the Armory opened its doors in March of 1915. We will have a small exhibit and a film in the lobby highlight-ing its history. It was not only home to our local National Guard unit, but many public events were held in its walls.

The Society itself turns 80 this year, hav-ing been established in June of 1935.

After a 4H Winona County History pageant held in Whitewater State Park (pictured below), Mildred Sebo and oth-ers joined together and formed WCHS.

This July will mark the 5 year birthday of the Laird Norton addition to the Armory, creating the History Center as well!

Watch for programs and events throughout 2015 as we celebrate these mile-stones!

Historical Pageant in White-water State Park, 1934.

Soldiers in front of Armory, 1917

Collection Corner By Jodi Brom

I was looking at the Society’s 2015 calendar and the May photo reminded me of an artifact we have in the collec-tion. The museum has the builder’s plate from the Winona Bridge Railway Company’s bridge across the Mississippi River. This was on the east end of Winona near Jefferson St., and was popularly called the “Green Bay” bridge. It opened in August of 1891 and closed in 1985 due to re-pairs needed. It was owned 2/3 by the Chicago, Burling-ton, and Quincy Railroad and 1/3 by the Green Bay and Western Railroad. For most of its life those two railroads used it to access Winona from their lines in Wisconsin. The Milwaukee Railroad also used this bridge from 1952 - 1979 to reach their line in the Chippewa Valley after their pontoon bridge at Reeds Landing washed out in the 1952 food. The bridge burned on December 17, 1989, after some kids tried to build a camp fire in the middle of it. I retrieved the builder plates while the bridge was being dismantled in 1990. This meant standing on the bridge’s approach and yelling at the top of my lungs to get the worker’s attention. I did get it and the crew brought it over to the History Center for me. The Brom Foundry sand-blasted it to remove the corrosion.

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Upcoming Books for Food For Thought Book Chat

March - The Invention of Wings by Susan Monk KiddApril - Montana 1948 by Larry WatsonMay - Zeitoon by Dave Eggers

Food For ThoughtA Lunchtime Learning Series

Play Reading “Birds of Passage” with Hal CroppJanuary 21, 12:05 p.m. This two person play reading explores the life of the immigrant. Many arrived in the United States during with the intention of returning to their villages. Known as “birds of passage,” many of these eastern and southern European migrants were peasants who had lost their property as a result of the commercialization of agriculture during the late 1800s. They came to America to earn enough money to allow them to return home and purchase a piece of land. However, many stayed. Hal Cropp is the Execu-tive Director of the Commonweal Theatre Company in Lanes-boro, Minnesota.

Book Chat Growing Up on the Mississippi by Kent Stever, January 28, 12:05 p.m.Charming stories of small town life in Winona, Minnesota, in the 1950s. The book is “a joyous autobiography containing stories, local histories and snippets of life found in the river town of my youth.” A reviewer writes that the new book “opens the flood-gates of memory for long-time Winonans and kick-starts a time machine that sends all readers back to vivid scenes from Wi-nona’s past. Mixing extensive research with personal narrative, Stever’s ‘Growing Up On the Mississippi’ offers more than dry history, but the vibrant details of life in another time in the island city.” It is “a love affair with a town and growing up.”

Page in History Hector Del Curto, January 28, 12:05 p.m.Tango has been in the Del Curto family since the early 1900s. Hector’s great grandfather was a bandoneónist and composer, and his grandfather, also a great bandoneon player, introduced Hector to the world of Tango and the bandoneon. By the age of 17, Hector Del Curto had won the title “Best Bandoneon Player Under 25” in Argentina. A Page in History is a partnership with the Page Theatre of Saint Mary’s University and gives Winonans a chance to meet performers and learn more about the background of their work. Find performance tickets at pagetheatre.org or call the box office at 507.457.1715

Lecture History of Winona’s Armory: Celebrating 100 Years, with Walt Bennick, February 18, 12:05 p.m.WCHS archivist, Walt Bennick, will give a hisotry of Winona’s Armory that was built in 1915 and is now part of the Winona County History Center. This National Register of Hisotric places building was not just a place for Winona’s National Guard unit to train, but it also served as a community center, hosting many dances, speakers, roller skating and more!

Book Chat The Monuments Men by Robert Edsel, February 25, 12:05 p.m.At the same time Adolf Hitler was attempting to take over the western world, his armies were methodically seeking and hoard-ing the finest art treasures in Europe. The Fuehrer had begun cataloguing the art he planned to collect as well as the art he would destroy: “degenerate” works he despised. In a race against time, behind enemy lines, often unarmed, a special force of American and British museum directors, curators, art histo-rians, and others, called the Monuments Men, risked their lives scouring Europe to prevent the destruction of thousands of years of culture.

The Food For Thought learning series takes place at the Winona County History Center. Lectures, Films and Book Chats begin at 12:05 p.m. and last approxi-mately one hour (unless otherwise noted). Attendees are welcome to bring their own lunch. A beverage is served. All are free and open to the public.

Programs & EventsNew Land, New Life Exhibit Opening CelebrationSaturday, January 10, 1 - 3 p.m. at the History CenterIn partnership with the Sons of Norway, Win-Nor Lodge, we welcome the traveling exhibit, “New Land, New Life,” which takes a look at stories of Norwegian immigrants from Norway. You are invited to explore the exhibit and some special Norwegian foods for the opening on January 10. It is free and open to the public. Check out related programing: Saturday, January, 24 at 10:30 a.m. learn how to make Lefse! This traditional soft flatbread is a holiday favorite for many Norwegians. During our Annual Open House on Sunday, February 8 we will make traditional Norwegian heart baskets and go on a Nisse scavenger hunt in the museum! A Nisse is part of scandinavian folklore and is a small elf-like being that can be very mischievous.

I Y History: The History Center Open HouseSunday, February 8, 12 - 4 p.m. at the History CenterCrafts, treats, entertainment, demonstrations, games, and more will be featured at our annual Open House. As a way to say thank you to our community, free admission and a slew of family fun is offered during this special event. We also showcase area organi-zations and clubs, so be sure to stop in!

Fun Things to Do at the Open House Victorian and Vintage Valentines in the Classroom, 12 - 4 p.m. Create a Norwegian Heart Basket in the Lobby, 12 - 4 p.m. Nisse Story and Scavenger Hunt starting in the Lobby, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Genealogy Tips and Preserving Your Family Heirlooms Information in the Archives, 12 - 4 p.m. Meet Winona Organizations and Clubs, 12 - 4 p.m. What is it? What Artifacts Can Tell Us! at the Tipi, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Plus much more! Find a full schedule on our website closer to the Event!

Frozen River Film Festival Screening of “BlindSight” and Photography Exhibit ReceptionFriday, February 20, Time TBA at the History CenterBlindSight examines the photographic imagination of the members of the Seeing with Photography Collective through their pho-tography. Some of the pieces shot by them will be on exhibit during the Festival at the History Center. While all the members were sighted at one time, they are all now blind or visually impaired. Many came to photography after their blindness, and photography has given them a new voice, a way to express what they feel, what they see inside their head. The results are transformative, for all the members and for the viewer. They are a tangible proof of how creativity enhances life and gives power. Bob Sacha, director, cinematographer, editor, teacher and photographer and, above all, a collaborator on visual journalism projects will be at the re-ception for a conversation following the film. In 2014 he shot the video for team project for the Guardian US that won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, a National Emmy for New Approaches to News and Documentary Programming. BlindSight, a documentary short about a group of blind photographers that he directed and shot, produced with Kate Emerson, had its world premiere at DOCNYC, the countries largest documentary festival.

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At the Museum Shop

Victorian and Vintage inspired, as well as, locally madejewelry for Valentine’s Day! Also, soaps, lotions, candles, and

many other wonderful local gifts for those you love!

February 18 - 22

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2015 Calendars are He

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