Winona, Minnesota

The site was of the village of Keoxa of Dakota people. But the name "Keoxa" is known only from one non-contemporary source, Edward Duffield Neill's The history of Minnesota—from the earliest French explorations to the present times. According to Neill, "Keoxa" best translated to "Homestead", and the name comes from annual ceremonial gatherings held there to honor the dead. The French knew the areas as La Prairie Aux-Ailes. The first American visitors called it Wahpasha's Prairie.^[8] The modern city is named after Winona, a figure in a Dakota legend.^[9]

European immigrants settled the area in 1851 and laid out the town into lots in 1852 and 1853. The first were from New England.^[10][11] The population increased from 815 in December 1855 to 3,000 in December 1856. In 1856, German immigrants arrived.^[11] The Germans and the Yankees worked together planting trees and building businesses based on lumber, wheat, steamboating, and railroads. Between 1859 and 1900, some 5,000 Poles and closely related Kashubians emigrated to Winona, making up one quarter of the population. Since 80% of them were Kashubians, Winona became known as the "Kashubian Capital of America". As a result of the influx of Polish Catholic immigrants, the Basilica of Saint Stanislaus Kostka (now Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka) was built.^[12] For a time, Winona had more millionaires than any other city of its size in the United States.^[11]

The railroad and steamboat transportation industries helped Winona grow into a small city that diversified into wheat milling and lumber production. In 1856, more than 1,300 steamboats stopped at Winona.^[13] The Winona and St. Peter Railroad's first segment of 11 miles (18 km) from Winona to Stockton, Minnesota, was completed by the end of 1862. Winona then had Minnesota's second operational railroad, after the St. Paul and Pacific Line from Saint Paul to Saint Anthony Falls.^[14] In December 1870, the Mississippi River was bridged at Winona by the Winona Rail Bridge.^[15] In 1892, a wagon toll-bridge over the Mississippi, a steel high-bridge, was completed and remained in service until the Main Channel Bridge opened in 1942.

Winona has two historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places that combine into a single local historic district administered by the city's Heritage Preservation Commission.

A bandshell was completed in 1924 for outdoor musical performances and events.^[16] The Winona Municipal Band holds concerts there during the summer.

Valley of the Mississippi from Winona, c. 1898

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 24.32 square miles (62.99 km²); 19.03 square miles (49.29 km²) is land and 5.29 square miles (13.70 km²) is water.^[17] Lock and Dam 5A spans the Mississippi River in Winona. The highway bridge connecting Winona to the Wisconsin side of the river is at approximately River Mile 726 (USACE map 31^[18]).

Winona's primary suburbs are Goodview, Stockton, Minnesota City, and Rollingstone to the west, Homer to the southeast, and Bluff Siding and Fountain City to the north. Rochester is 44 miles west of Winona, La Crescent is 21 miles to the south, and La Crosse is 30 miles to the southeast.

Winona is part of the driftless area, a region never covered by ice during the last ice age, that includes southeastern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa, southwestern Wisconsin and northwestern Illinois.

Just northeast of the city, connected to it by several bridges, is Latsch Island. Officially part of the city since 1998, Latsch Island has been home to a unique community of houseboat ("Boathouse") residents for several decades.

The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Winona the principal city of the Winona, MN Micropolitan Statistical Area (μSA).^[19]

Winona is home to the headquarters to many companies, including Fastenal, Thern Inc., Knitcraft Corporation, RTP Company, We-No-Nah Canoe,^[28] United Building Centers, Badger Equipment Company,^[29] Winona Lighting, Hal Leonard Music, WinCraft Sports, and Winona Pattern & Mold.^[30] Bay State Milling operates a grain processing facility in Winona and was founded there in 1899.^{[citation needed]}

Watkins Incorporated, a manufacturer of health remedies, baking products, and household goods, was founded in 1868 by J. R. Watkins in Plainview, Minnesota. The company relocated to Winona in 1885. By the early 20th century, J. R. Watkins had become one of the largest direct-sales companies in the United States. The company headquarters, a complex of seven buildings, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Winona is also known as the stained glass capital of the United States.^[31] Willet Hauser Architectural Glass is a stained glass firm in Winona that specializes in the design, fabrication, preservation and restoration of leaded stained glass and faceted glass windows. The studio is one of the oldest in North America.

Fastenal, headquartered in Winona,^[32] ranked 479th in the 2021 Fortune 500 based on its 2020 revenues. In 2023 Fastenal fell to number 514. Its stock is a component of the Nasdaq 100 index.

Winona is in Minnesota's 1st congressional district, represented by Brad Finstad, a Republican.^[41] At the state level, Winona is in Senate District 28, represented by Republican Jeremy Miller, and in House District 26A, represented by Republican Aaron Repinski. Nearby House District 28B is represented by Greg Davids, a Republican. Scott Sherman is the mayor.^[42]

Winona became the site of the first normal school west of the Mississippi in 1858 with the establishment of Winona Normal School (now Winona State University). This was the beginning of Winona's tradition as a center of higher education. In 2018-2019, Winona State University (WSU) had approximately 7,200 undergraduate students and 560 graduate students.^[49] WSU is part of the Minnesota State college system.^[50]

Saint Mary's College (now Saint Mary's University of Minnesota) was founded as a private Catholic, Lasallian school in 1912.^[51] Later, as the necessity of higher education for women became apparent, the College of Saint Teresa was created. After Saint Mary's became co-ed in 1969,^[51] Saint Teresa closed in 1988, and its facilities are now used, owned, and/or operated by Saint Mary's, Winona State, and Cotter High School. Minnesota State College-Southeast also has a campus in Winona.^[52]

There are various K-12 educational opportunities. Run by Winona Area Public Schools, the local public school system includes five elementary schools (three in Winona), Winona Middle School, and Winona Senior High School. The Winona Area Catholic Schools system includes St. Nicholas Hall Primary School, St. Luke Elementary School, Cotter Junior High School, and Cotter Senior High School. St. Martin's School,^[53] St. Matthew's School,^[54] and Hope Lutheran High School are private Lutheran schools in Winona. Two charter schools, Winona Riverway Learning Community (PreK-12) l,^[55] and Bluffview Montessori Charter School (K-8) are in the city. Bluffview is notable as the United States' first charter Montessori school and second charter school overall.^[56]

Main Square Montessori (MSM) is a nonprofit Montessori learning center for children from 16 months to six years old in a partnership between the Hiawatha Education Foundation and Cotter Schools.^[57]

Several organizations also provide community education. The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts offers community classes for early childhood through 55+ adult programs in the areas of dance, music, theater, and visual arts.^[58] Winona Area Public Schools,^[59][60] Winona State University,^[61] The City of Winona Parks and Recreation,^[62] and Winona Arts Center^[63] offer additional community learning opportunities.

• Carol Bartz, former CEO of Yahoo!, formerly of Autodesk
• Charles H. Berry, first Attorney General of Minnesota
• Bernhard Brenner, founder/president of Knitcraft Corporation, manufacturer of St. Croix luxury knitwear
• Paul Breza, Roman Catholic priest and founder of Winona's Polish Cultural Institute and Museum
• Robert Henry Brom, Roman Catholic bishop
• Alec Brown, NBA player
• Frank Bures, writer
• Roger Busdicker, co-founder of Hal Leonard Corporation
• Jan Romuald Byzewski OFM, pastor of Saint Stanislaus Kostka Parish and founder of the Polish-language newspaper Wiarus
• Tracy Caulkins, swimmer, three-time Olympic gold medalist
• Max Conrad, aviator
• James Earle Fraser (1876–1953), sculptor, designer of the Buffalo Nickel and the "End of the Trail" statue
• Paul Giel, athlete, two-time Big Ten Player of the Year, member of College Football Hall of Fame
• Mabel Farrington Gifford, expert on speech defects and disorders
• Elliott Heath, distance runner
• Garrett Heath, distance runner
• James "J. R." Keller, state senator and representative
• Bob Kierlin, businessman and politician
• Alphonse Roy Lejk, politician
• John G. McMynn, Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction
• William D. Mitchell, United States Attorney General under presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover
• Thomas H. Moodie, North Dakota governor
• Anne Pellowski, author, educator, and Kashubian American activist
• Benjamin H. Randall, American politician and businessman, early settler to Minnesota Territory
• Winona Ryder, actress, born in Winona and named after the city
• Corey Schell, American professional bowhunter and archer
• Charles Peter Schuler, Minnesota state legislator and businessman
• Orlando Stevens, member of the state legislatures of Vermont and Minnesota
• Tom Stoa, Minnesota state legislator and beekeeper
• Eleanor Joy Toll, Los Angeles-area educator and clubwoman
• Joseph Ray Watkins, entrepreneur and founder of Watkins Incorporated
• Julie Wera, infielder with 1927 New York Yankees
• Eugenia Wheeler Goff (1844-1922), historian, cartographer, educator, and author
• William Windom (1827–1891), member of both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate from Minnesota; later Secretary of the Treasury
• Cat Zingano, mixed martial artist

• Bytów, Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland^[66]
• Misato, Miyagi, Japan^[67]

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  View of city and Mississippi River from bluff top.
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  Watkins Museum
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  Polish Cultural Institute and Museum
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  Minnesota Marine Art Museum
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  Merchants National Bank entry
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  Winona Commercial Historic District
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  Historic German-American Bank building
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  Winona Commercial Historic District
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  Historic Winona Hotel building
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  East Second Street Commercial Historic District
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  Winona County Courthouse
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  Historic Winona Savings Bank building
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  Winona City Hall