An Historic Mississippi River Town
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Winona lies in the upper Mississippi River Valley and is nestled between majestic bluffs and the mighty Mississippi River. The contrasting beauty of the towering bluffs, the quiet park land and Mississippi River backwaters, signal to the visitor that this community offers more to those who live here than tranquil beauty.
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Early rivermen called this area "Sand Prairie" or Wapasha´s Prairie" after the powerful Chief Wapasha of the Dakota Sioux tribe. Steamboat captain Orrin Smith founded the city of Winona in 1851 when he dropped off three men on the sandbar to stake out the first land claims. Early settlers named the settlement Montezuma, but the name was soon changed to Winona, a name derived from the Dakota Indian word We-No-Nah, which means "eldest daughter". Legend has it that We-No-Nah leapt to her death from the bluffs when she was denied marriage to the brave whom she loved.
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Winona became an important lumber producer in the 1850´s, and was the largest city at the time in what is now Minnesota.
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Today, Winona is leader in both industry and technology. It has 3 schools of higher education including Winona State University, St. Mary´s University, and The Winona Technical College.
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