Winona County, Minnesota
CHAPTER ELEVEN: NAVIGATION
Pages 117-119
From the book
"History of Wabasha County"
Published in 1884
Concerning Wabasha and Winona Counties in Minnesota
The "Father of Waters" forms the eastern boundary of Winona county, and with its various channels and sloughs constitutes the only navigable water in the county. Probably the first white man who traversed the forty-five miles of its length in which we are now interested was Father Hennepin, who in the month of April, 1680, explored the Mississippi from the mouth of the Illinois to the falls of St. Anthony. In the month of May, 1689, Nicholas Perrot, accompanied by Le Sueur, Father Marest and others, sailed up the Mississippi from the mouth of Wisconsin river to the mouth of the St. Croix, and formally took possession of the country in the name of the king of France. In September of the year 1700 Le Sueur passed upward with a party of Frenchmen to explore and work some reported mines near the mouth of the Chippewa river. In the year 1766 that enterprising Connecticut Yankee, Jonathan Carver, traveled extensively in the Northwest, and on October 29 of that year passed by the future county of Winona, noting in his journal some shrewd observations upon the numerous mounds which he saw along the shores and bluffs. In September, 1805, Lieut. Zebulon Pike visited this region by order of President Jefferson, to expel British traders, who were found violating the laws, and to form alliances with the Indians. In the summer of 1819 a party of officers and soldiers, with their wives and children, passed by our county in keelboats on their way to establish a post at the mouth of the Minnesota river, by order of John C. Calhoun, then secretary of the war. The next year Gov. Cass of Michigan headed an exploring expedition by way of the lakes, and, descending the Mississippi in canoes, spent the afternoon of August 4 at Wapashaw village, the site of the present city of Winona.
Previous to the year 1823 it had been supposed that the rapids at Rock Island were an insurmountable barrier to the navigation of the upper Mississippi; but on the second day of May of that year the Virginia, a steamer one hundred and eighteen feet in length, left her moorings at St. Louis, destined for Fort Snelling. Successfully passing the rapids, this pioneer craft made her way slowly up the Mississippi, producing the greatest terror and consternation among the Indians, who supposed that it was some enormous water-spirit, coughing, puffing out hot breath and splashing the water in all directions. This pioneer steamer passed Wabasha prairie toward the last of the month and reached Fort Snelling in safety. From this time occasional trips were made as the necessity of the government and trading-posts required. Among the great number of steamers which have passed and repassed the county in years gone by, all old settlers will remember the Minnesota Belle, Gray Eagle, War Eagle, Northern Belle, Nominee, Ben Corson, The Adelia, Frank Steele, Keokuk, Jeanette, Tishimingo, Annie Johnson, Addie Johnson, Phil. Sheridan, and many others.
Of the captains of all these and other unnamed steamers Capt. Smith Harris and Capt. Orrin Smith are most frequently mentioned. The latter was one of the earliest proprietors and admirers of the town site of Winona, and the former, being interested in Kasota, and other towns on the Minnesota river, was never tired of pointing out the disadvantages of Wabasha prairie. It is said that during the high water in 1852, in order to demonstrate the truth of his statement that Smith's town was on a mere sand-bar in the Mississippi, he ran his boat straight by Minneowah up into Lake Winona, and out across near the Denman farm into Crooked Slough and the river again. Captains Hatcher and Bryant, long in the service, afterward made their homes in Winona. Before the day of railroads great importance attached to the coming and going of these river steamers, which formed the only connection with the outside world. The familiar whistle of a steamboat would frequently cause a stampeded even from the church service or prayer meeting, particularly if it was the first boat of the season.
The following table shows the arrivals of the fit boat for a period of years commencing with 1856:
| 1856 Alhambra ~ April 8 | 1870 Keokuk ~ April 5 |
| 1857 Hamburg ~ April 2 | 1871 Addie Johnston ~ March 18 |
| 1858 Brazil ~ March 23 | 1872 Belle of La Crosse ~ April 9 |
| 1859 Grey ~ Eagle March 18 | 1873 Union ~ April 3 |
| 1860 Chippewa ~ March 13 | 1874 Northwestern ~ April 6 |
| 1861 Northern Light ~ March 26 | 1875 Lake Superior ~ April 12 |
| 1862 Keokuk ~ April 2 | 1876 Dubuque ~ April 10 |
| 1863 Keokuk ~ March 20 | 1877 Red Wing ~ April 11 |
| 1864 Union ~ March 16 | 1878 Penguin ~ March 12 |
| 1865 Lansing ~ March 30 | 1879 Maggie Reaney ~ April 4 |
| 1866 Addie Johnston ~ April 13 | 1880 Belle of Bellvue ~ March 22 |
| 1867 City of St. Paul ~ April 13 | 1881 Josie ~ April 24 |
| 1868 Diamond Jo ~ March 21 | 1882 Robert Harris ~ March 1 |
| 1869 Buckeye ~ April 6 | |
The following table shows the dates of the closing of navigation for a series of years:
| 1856 November 27 | 1870 December 15 |
| 1857 November 19 | 1871 November 22 |
| 1858 December 2 | 1872 November 22 |
| 1859 December 3 | 1873 November 29 |
| 1860 November 24 | 1874 November 30 |
| 1861 November 27 | 1875 November 20 |
| 1862 December 1 | 1876 December 1 |
| 1863 November 27 | 1877 December 8 |
| 1864 December 4 | 1878 December 13 |
| 1865 December 5 | 1879 December 12 |
| 1866 December 9 | 1880 November 20 |
| 1867 December 5 | 1881 January 2, 1882 |
| 1868 December 8 | 1882 December |
| 1869 December 18 | |
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