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Take Hwy. 61 West to Miesville, MN |
Red Wing, Minnesota |
Take Hwy. 61 SE to Wacouta, MN |
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Red
Wing lies at the head of the beautiful Lake Pepin, a wide area of the
Mississippi River, where many activities can be enjoyed. It is one of the
oldest cities in Minnesota.
When Father Louis Hennepin paddled a canoe up the Mississippi River in 1680, he found a band of Mdewakanton Dakota Sioux camped beneath Barn Bluff. The village here was then known as "Khemnichan" or "hill-wood-water", a reference to Barn Bluff. The band’s chief carried a ceremonial staff that was passed down from one chief to the next and adorned with a swan’s feather dyed scarlet. Red Wing get is name from the first Indian chief Hoo-poo-hoo-sha, who was known as "Wings of Scarlet" due to the emblem of the Swan's Wing stained scarlet. His successors Walking Buffalo and later Wacouta also assumed the title of Chief Red Wing. Wacouta was responsible for the 1851 Lower Sioux Treaty, Which moved the Red Wing Tribe to a reservation on the Minnesota River. The first white settlers came the area in the early 1800s. Native Americans have left an archeological presence dating back to around 1000 A.D. The first settlement of whites were made by missionaries in the 1840s. After a treaty with the Dakota opened up southern Minnesota for settlement in the early 1850s, settlers poured in. The town was platted in 1853 and was made the county seat of Goodhue County in 1854. Three years later it was incorporated as a city. Because of its fertile soil to grow wheat, Red Wing became the world's largest wheat port. By the early 1870s Red Wing was a bustling port, shipping more than 1 million bushels of wheat annually. In 1871, a railroad line was built from St. Paul to Red Wing. The railroad played a large role in bringing high grade clay to plants in Red Wing. In less than two decades after its formation, the population was over 4,000 people. In the 1880's, Red Wing's economic dependence on the river shifted away with the production of earthen pottery. A strong clay industry was started to utilize the local clays. Today the town is best known for Red Wing Shoes and Red Wing Stoneware. In 1906, Two large pottery companies merged to form the Red Wing Stoneware Company, a company that was nationally recognized for its fine jars and crock pots. Unfortunately, due to changing times and declining sales, the company went out of business in 1967. Tanneries will built to provide leather to area shoemakers and the Red Wing Shoe Company was formed in 1905. Today Red Wing Shoes are still manufactured in Red Wing and visitors can tour the recently opened Red Wing Shoe Company Museum. Red Wing is still a large manufacturing center but it is a popular tourist destination with it's attractive scenery and diverse selection of historic architecture. Today, Red Wing has a population of over 15,500. Red Wing is also ranked 34th on the list of America's 100 best small towns to live, work and visit. It is a spotless hamlet where brilliantly colored blossoms brighten lampposts and parks, and riverbank benches provide peaceful spots to watch the Mississippi roll by. Red Wing's location on the Mississippi River still supports industrial needs, but its role as a tourist attraction and home for seasonal boaters continues to grow. Red Wing Chamber of Commerce |
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