Snowflakes swirled around my older brother and me as we stepped out of the car onto the parking lot at St. Mary’s University. We tugged the inner tubes out of the trunk and walked into the snow towards the sledding hills. We slowly trudged through the knee-deep snow to get to our destination deeper in the trails. We strolled along the creek, commenting on the freshly powdered trees and laughing about how the college finally put railings on the bridge we so feared to cross as kids. The water under the small bridge was unfrozen and glistened as it flowed past. The further out we went, the more untouched the snow became, and the more melted snow began to sink into our weighty boots. We finally came to a wider path and reached why we had come. The once grassy, rolling hills of St. Mary’s were now covered in a fresh snowfall. The scene was dreamlike and picturesque. We stared at the arctic slope for a few more minutes before racing to the very top. From there, I could see a family sledding down and a group of young skiers slowly making their way across a cross country ski trail. We sat at the top for a couple of seconds, as air returned to our overworked lungs and enjoyed the view (one can even climb high enough to see the Mississippi river valley) before sliding down one-at-a-time. Snow kicked up behind my sled as I sped down the steep hill. As I rocketed across the icy surface, I quickly slid towards the woods. My brother laughed as he saw me frantically trying to steer myself away from the tall, brown weeds. In seconds, I was slowing down as I descended to the flat prairie below, my face covered in a layer of icy sludge. After I came to a stop, I sat there in my inner tube at the bottom of the hill, feeling an adrenaline rush, as I wondered about the people who sled this hill before me.
There was once an effort to make Winona the “winter sports capital of the Northwest”. The Winter Sports Committee of Winona had a program called the “big sale” which involved selling buttons to promote and raise money for winter sports in Winona. According to a 1926 report, 1,200 winter buttons were sold in support of Winona’s Winter Sports Program. An article published in the Winona Republican-Herald in 1924 explains plans for a “Winona Winter Sports Center”. The Winter Sports Committee described their vision as an ‘outdoor party’ and their first goal was a toboggan shoot which was completed in 1926, two years later. Another committee, the “Winona Winter Carnival Committee” brought famous skiers to Winona to “boost the winter sports program”. The reason listed for inviting them was to inspect “natural facilities for a ski slide and toboggan slide giving expert advice, and assisting in putting this city on the winter sport map”. St. Mary’s College hosted an “annual Winter Sports Festival” with activities like tobogganing, skating, and skiing. 600 students from the College of St. Teresa and St. Mary’s participated in this event. There was even a “snow queen” elected for the weekend. Student dances were held at the Student Union which began and ended the weekend. Winter sports remain popular in Winona to this day and that is reflected in the work that gets put into the ski trails at St. Mary’s.
One of the most unique aspects of these trails is the amount of work that it takes to keep them perfectly manicured. This dedication is the result of the volunteers who prepare the trails for cross country skiers. Winona is described as, “home to some of the best cross-country ski trails in Southeast Minnesota” according to a 2018 article in the Winona Post. Volunteers from the Winona Nordic Ski Club drag equipment behind snowmobiles with a comb-like tool that makes grooves for skate-style and classic skis. The club even works on the trails in the “off-season” to “make sure erosion does not ruin the trail system’s base”. The club, for fear of damage to this delicate surface, discourages walking or hiking on the trails in the winter months. Along with the commitment of the volunteers, the club raised money to create a lighted trail during the short days of winter. They also fundraised for “new snowmobiles, grooming equipment, snowmakers, and more”. All of these factors allow the guests on the trails to have the best experience possible. This work began because of a physics professor at SMU named Brother Jerome Rademacher and Richard Jarvinen both of whom had a passion for cross-country skiing. Saint Mary’s gave Radermacher the Heffron Award in 2002 for his dedication to the trails. The club continues Rademacher and Jarvinen’s legacy by continuing to pave the trails.
At the very top of that hill where we first climbed stood an ancient, rusted model T car. Obviously, it’s not something one sees every day so I was instantly intrigued about the backstory of this artifact. Because of the heavy winter, one could barely make its shape and it looked more like a pile of metal than a car. It was worn down and decayed from many snowy winters that came before. Rumor had it that someone drove their car up the hill and wasn’t able to drive it down so there it stayed. With more research, I found that this wasn’t true. Someone did drive it up but it wasn’t just for the pretty views. An old article from the Winona Republican-Herald published on March 4th, 1953 states that it was used as a ski lift called the Redmen ski tow. The Model T was mounted on blocks and a “threadbare rope was wound around a rear wheel” which pulled skiers up the hill. The 300-pound machine could tug six skiers up at a time and at a “seven miles per hour clip”. The device was bought as part of the Winter Sports Club at St. Mary’s who took care of ski and toboggan runs, the skating rink and hosted activities such as, toboggan and skating parties, and sleigh rides. The tow has not operated for a number of years but it “allowed the students, who come from all across the nation, to make use of the abundant skiing facilities unique to the Winona area” while it was in operation. This car is a relic of Winona’s past ambition to capitalize on Winona’s winters.
The City of Winona might not have the specific goal of making Winona the “winter sports capital of the Northwest”, but there have been steps taken to capitalize on the cold weather of Minnesota. Most recently, a new ice skating rink, overlooking the Mississippi River, was opened this past December for the outdoor Holiday Market at Levee Park. The city assistant recreation director, Patrick Menton said, ‘The way the park has been developed has made it a destination and we want to continue to attract people to get outside and play all year round,’. There is another new phenomenon in Winona called ice climbing and it is described as, “Winona’s newest sport”. Ice climbing at “Ice Park” or Sugarloaf covered in sheets of ice is growing in popularity across the midwest. Eric Barnard, who is a member of the board of the Minnesota Climbers Association, “hopes the new attraction will help fill Winona restaurants and hotels”. And lastly, ice skating returned to Lake Lodge in 2018 after being closed last season. Although a winter sports center was never built; Winona is still rooted in its winter activities and sports.
The bluffs of St. Mary’s were a big part of my childhood and continue to involve my life as I grow up. The same parking lot where my brother and I parked was where my parents first taught me how to ride my bike. The trails we trekked were the ones I skied in middle school as part of the cross country team. And the creek we walked over was the one that my friends and I splashed in during the hot summer months. In the fall, the coral and maroon leaves cling to the trees as I hiked through the bluffs. This is the place I sledded with my siblings and made endless memories on cold, frozen days; where we would dare each other to sled all the way down to the creek from the top of the hill. Even my father sled here with his family. The Model T is rusted and continues to decay and the ski tow is no longer in operation. Funds were never raised to build the Winona Winter Sports Center and the toboggan shoot went out of operation. The committees are all disbanded and there is no longer an overall effort to make Winona the “winter sports capital of the Northwest”. But the people of Winona still love to ski, sled, and skate and people still come from all around to enjoy the thrilling toboggan rides and perfectly groomed ski trails. So winter sports might not be as big of a deal as they used to be, but I don’t mind.
