The Princess Wenonah Statue
Once upon a time there was a princess who was being forced to marry a man she did not love by her father. Instead of obeying her father’s wishes, she threw herself from a cliff to escape a life she did not want. This is no ordinary fairytale, in fact, it happened right here in Winona, Minnesota. Winona is a place of rich history and culture. There are beautiful landmarks and sculptures all over town, and an abundance of tales about the people here before us. Winona is full of stories, but one of the most longstanding pieces of history is the tale of Princess Wenonah and how this town got its name. It is a tale of a woman who took her own life due to being forced into marriage with someone whom she did not love. Her story is slowly becoming less prevalent, but those who do know of her story know it is a tale of romance and tragedy, and something that is very important in the upbringing of this town. To remember Princess Wenonah, there is a statue that recognizes her for the fateful choice she had to make because of the hardships that came with being a woman in her time.
The tale of Princess Wenonah is something that has been passed down through Winonans for more than 200 years. Over forty versions of the story have been told, but all stick to the main theme: a young woman, not willing to marry the man that had been arranged for her, and instead leaping from the bluffs to her death. Princess Wenonah was a native Dakota woman, and was a favorite in her tribe and in the city of Keoxa, which is now known as Winona. In the Dakota language, the word we-no-nah means ‘first-born daughter, so it was very important that she married the ideal man. The man was chosen by her father, who was unwilling to let her marry a man of her own choosing. Princess Wenonah would not agree, and her only option to escape the marriage was to end her own life. She climbed the bluffs, to a place now known as Maiden Rock, and threw herself over the edge. This act is known as the ‘lover’s leap’ and has made such an extreme impact on our city that it is still talked about today.
The Princess Wenonah statue was created by Isabel Moore Kimball, a sculptor who taught drawing for a while at the Winona Normal School. She began creating the sculpture in 1900 and finished in 1902. According to the Winona Post, while Isabel was teaching in Winona, she met a man named William J. Landon. William J. Landon wanted to pay tribute to his late wife and needed Isabel’s help to do so, and the two thought of creating the Princess Wenonah statue. The statue was a gift to the city from W. J. Landon as a tribute to wife, Ida Cone Landon, and originally cost $5,000 to create. Interestingly enough, the statue is not based on real drawings or images of Princess Wenonah. Kimball used an Abenaki Indian woman, named Beulah Tahamon, as a model for facial features of the statue. The statue of Princess Wenonah is made of bronze and she is armed with a bow-and-arrow, shielding her eyes from the sun. She is surrounded by a trio of bronze pelicans that shoot water from their beaks and three bronze turtles. The statue is a powerful piece of art that resembles Princess Wenonah moments before she leapt for love. The Princess Wenonah statue is the most traveled sculpture in town.
Princess Wenonah’s statue is placed in Windom Park off of Huff Street. Many pass her statue every day, but rarely stop to admire or research her compelling story. The statue is in one of the most largely traveled parts of town, but this has not always been her home. During an interview I had with Walt Bennick, an archivist at the Winona County Historical Society, I was told that this was the fourth place the statue had been placed. The statue was first placed in Central Park in 1902. It was in this location for exactly sixty years, which has been the statue’s longest home to this day. The statue was moved to Lake Park in 1962, due to a new post office being built where the Princess Wenonah statue formerly resided. Although, Lake Park was not ideal for the statue, either. The statue was placed in a small, grassy triangle that did not give her the glory and recognition that she deserved. Once again, she was moved. In 1977 she was placed at the Levee Plaza, in order to spruce up the area. The statue remained there until her final destination, where the statue still stands proudly to this day. On September 25, 1993, the Princess Wenonah statue was placed in Windom Park, with a crowd of more than 500 there to dedicate her, according to Winona Daily News.
Walt Bennick has been working as an archivist for many years and knows a great deal about the tale of Princess Wenonah. He had stacks of fascinating newspaper articles and old pictures of the statue from the early 1900s. One of the most interesting things he showed me was a journal entry from a man, named Zebulon Montgomery Pike, as he explored the upper Mississippi. The journal entry was dated September 17, 1805, and read “The story continuing, we remained all day. I was shown a point of rocks from which a Sioux maiden cast herself, and she was dashed into a thousand pieces on the rocks. She had been informed that her friends intended matching her to a man she despised; having been refusen she had chosen, she ascended the hill, singing her death-song; and before they could overtake and obviate her purpose she took the lover’s leap!” This journal entry struck the minds of many and interested some enough to travel to the area she took her life, as well. In 1817, a man, named Stephen H. Long, decided to travel there and elaborate on Zebulon Pike’s original story. This journal entry is one of the most interesting of all. It is the words of Princess Wenonah herself, moments before she throws herself from Maiden Rock. Speaking to her parents and brothers, she says “You first refused to let me marry agreeably to my own choice. Then you endeavored by artifice to unite me to a man I cannot love, and now you will force me to marry him whether I will or not. You thought to allure and make me wretched but you shall be disappointed,” and then leapt. This journal entry created a more complex character of Princess Wenonah than we ever would have known without.
Today, women are treated much differently than they were when Princess Wenonah was alive. Arranged marriages are not as prevalent in the United States anymore, but just 200 years ago it was the primary way that spouses were introduced, it says in Owlcation. Women are not looked at as just homemakers anymore, they have the same abilities as men and almost the same opportunities. In modern day America, arranged marriages aren’t just seen as uncommon, they are seen as strange. The idea of forcing someone into something they do not want to do is horrifying, because some individuals, like Princess Wenonah, end up taking their own life because of it. Women have always been independent and capable but are finally being noticed for it, just a few centuries too late for Princess Wenonah and many other brave women like her.
There aren’t as many things done today to recognize princess Wenonah, besides some retelling of her story, but the town has made a few efforts to keep the tale of Princess Wenonah alive. One example is about a short play made in her honor, titled A Romantic Tragedy. The play was written by Emilio DeGrazia, a Winona resident, and was performed on the Winona State University main stage. Another place Princess Wenonah is recognized is in the historic Somsen Hall mural at Winona State University. The mural is cast on three walls above the main stairs in Somsen Hall and pays respect to Winona’s earliest years and some of its most historic tales. “One wall depicts the legend of Wenonah, the Sioux Indian princess for whom the city of Winona was named,” it says in an article from the Winona Post. Although it may be limited, some parts of town still pay homage to Princess Wenonah, like a few stained-glass windows and other small gestures. It’s the little things like these that keep the tale of Princess Wenonah and what she did for the start of this city relevant.
The Princess Wenonah statue is one of Winona’s most famous pieces of history with a fascinating story. She is one of the most important parts in the upbringing of the city and has been an icon of love and tragedy in Winona for over two centuries. In a town so full of history, culture, and things to do, it is easy to forget some of the best stories. May the statue, small gestures, and tale of Princess Wenonah live on for many more centuries to come.
