The pleasant sounding name of Winona is one of the many Dakota words abounding along the river and over the State, and was the appellation of the beautiful Indian girl who so tragically ended her life by leaping from the top of Maiden’s Bluff, bordering the eastern shore of Lake Pepin above, and of which we shall presently speak more in detail.

It is a name always given by the Dakotas to the first-born female child of a family.  As was the maiden, celebrated in song and story, so is the town, quite handsome and interesting in many points of aspect.  It is the objective point for great quantities of freight by boat up the river, to be from thence distributed through the whole southern section of Minnesota by means of the important railway line extending from this city to the interior, tapping the St. Paul and Milwaukee road at Owatanna, and the St. Paul and Sioux City at St. Peter’s and Mankato; draining one of the most fertile districts in the commonwealth of its immense stores of wheat and other grains seeking an outlet and an eastern market.  This road is known as the Winona and St. Peter’s, and is a trunk line, with the sure promise of increasing importance to the State and profit to its projectors.  By means of it the great lumber marts of Minneapolis and St. Anthony, and likewise the Capital, are brought in close proximity to this commercial city of Winona; and much of the trade and travel of the fertile valley of the Minnesota River must, by means of this line, prove tributary to the rapid growing town.

The march of progress is never ended in the life of the West; and, ere the present year passes, an entirely new line both north and east will have been completed, and then a new era of prosperity will be inaugurated.  We refer to the St. Paul and Chicago Air-Line Railway, which, starting at St. Paul, follows the river banks to this place, where it is to cross to Wisconsin, thence direct to Chicago, leaving La Crosse forty miles below, and out of the line.  Heretofore the means of travel to Chicago and the east has been either by rail to Owatanna, far to the west, or the more common practice of going by steamer in summer and stage in winter to La Crosse, thus of necessity paying both compliments and costs to this rival town, which has not been highly relished by the Winonians.  The new route will make them entirely independent of the denizens of La Crosse.  But both places have resources peculiar to themselves and quite sufficient to insure prosperity and fame.

Those visiting Winona are impressed with the general neatness of the place, and the number and finish of its business blocks and private residences.  There are many fine churches erected, whose capacity, though large, is not much greater than seems demanded by the church-going inhabitants, which affords both a commentary and index to their general high character.  Among the public buildings worthy of special attention is that of their Normal school, recently finished at a