Andy Bloedorn, Curator of Collections at the Winona County Historical Society, chose this item from their collection in MDL: a Panoramic View of Winona along the Mississippi River at Levee Park.

Examine this photograph by zooming in below:

View of Mississippi River at Levee Park, Winona, 1912-1913

This image is a panorama of Winona taken in 1912 or 1913 looking southeast from the vantage point of the High Wagon Bridge over the Mississippi River. Along the river is Winona’s Levee Park, with its wide stone-paved landing, geometric tree-lined pathways, and long line of benches placed just behind the flood wall. A grape arbor along the park’s back edge screens visitors from the Chicago & North Western railroad cars and tracks behind it. The High Wagon Bridge’s winding approach onto Main Street can be seen at right, and above that, the silhouette of Sugar Loaf Bluff in the distance. At left and far downstream is the swing bridge used by the Green Bay & Western and Burlington Railway. Several church steeples are discernable along the skyline, but the white dome of the Saint Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church is clearly visible at center left.

This photograph is one from a set of eleven panoramas captured on glass plate negatives all measuring 8” x 20”. They include cityscapes of Winona and nearby Fountain City, Wisconsin, as well as Winona’s bridges and a view of West Burns Valley looking toward Sugar Loaf Bluff in Winona.

We have many photographs in our collection that were taken from this vantage point, but none of the others are this expansive. This panoramic view captures so much of the city in one image, reproducing the wide field of view someone would have taken in crossing the High Wagon Bridge as they reached Winona. A bustling Winona is captured in a single shot, with boats docked at the levee, its East End riverfront industries, the commercial downtown district, and numerous smokestacks and church spires dotting the skyline.

There is just so much to discover in this photo! Park visitors lounging on benches, faded advertisements on building facades, Levee Park’s two Civil War-era cannons, or the roofline of a familiar building poking out from behind another. I think I see something new every time I look at this photograph.

The mission of the Winona County Historical Society, located in Winona, Minnesota, is to collect, preserve, and interpret materials that document the human history of Winona County. The main museum, which used to serve as the county's National Guard Armory, features a time-line of Winona County history, an award-winning children's exhibit, a large library and archives, collection storage, offices, programming space, and a gift shop. The Society also operates two smaller museums, the Bunnell House, an 1850s Gothic style house, and the Rural Heritage Museum, located on the Winona County Fairgrounds in St. Charles. The Society maintains a very active educational programming schedule, and features many special events and publications throughout the year.

Browse the Winona County Historical Society collection in MDL.

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