River Towns Historic
Preservation Skilled Crafts and Manufacturing Traditions
The River Towns of southeast
Minnesota are located 60 miles from the Twin Cities. Winona is an arts and cultural center with three
major galleries that hold works by Picasso, Van Gogh and Monet that depict
lakes, oceans and rivers. The Garvin Heights overlook features panoramic views
of the town and Mississippi River Valley.
Follow the Minnesota River Valley Scenic Byway to New Ulm and experience Old World German heritage through unique
architecture, restaurants and shops selling German imports, from chocolates to
cuckoo clocks. A traditional Glockenspiel features figures from the town’s
history.
Red Wing was officially incorporated in 1857. Located in the Mississippi
River Valley and flanked by rolling bluffs, the town is a leading manufacturer
of leather, pottery and Red Wing Shoes. The town is named for the Native American
Chief who first met a US Army Officer in 1805.
Shakea The Man Who Paints Himself Red
Tucked between bluffs and the
river, Red Wing has many historic Victorian properties and farmhouses,
including the St James hotel that dates to the 1880s. It overlooks the
Mississippi River near the 1904 Amtrak Depot, home to an art gallery and a visitor
center.
The National Trust for Historic
Preservation lists Red Wing among its Distinctive Destination
The Town’s first
settlers built small mills, factories, and workshops. The European immigrants were
skilled craftsmen employed in tanneries, shoe-making, farm equipment, bricks,
boats and furniture manufacturing. Red Wing Stoneware, was founded in 1877; it
used clay from the Hay Creek area.
The
Aurora Ski Club in Red Wing, founded in 1887, was one of the first ski
clubs formed in North America, reflecting the sport interests of the region’s Scandinavian
immigrants; the Red Wing Style ski
techniques were patterned after the Telemark form.
