Upper Mississippi River at Winona (Images of America)

Winona, located on an island where the upper Mississippi Riverflows from west to east, has been linked to the river from itsearliest days. Before the community's settlement, Native Americansand white explorers sailed past Wapasha's Prairie in birchbarkcanoes, keel boats, and small sailboats. As early as the 1820s,steamboats plied the river while carrying people and goods to andfrom the state's interior.Before bridges began to crisscross the river, merchants had touse boats to bring people and supplies to Winona before they couldtravel farther west. The first bridge to cross the river was aswing bridge that allowed steamboats to pass.Images of America: Upper Mississippi River at Winonauses images collected and archived in the Winona County HistoricalSociety's History Center to illustrate the history of theMississippi River near Winona. Many of the photographs exhibited inthis book have rarely been seen by the general public and havenever been published.