Princess Winona is the central Native American character in a "Lover's Leap" romantic legend set at Maiden Rock on the Wisconsin side of Lake Pepin in the United States. Princess Winona leaps to her death from Maiden Rock rather than marry a suitor she does not love.[1]
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There are several variations of the story. Winona's father is sometimes said to be Chief Red Wing of what is now Red Wing, Minnesota or Chief Wabasha (Wapasha) of a village identified as Keoxa, now known as Winona, Minnesota. Rather than marry a suitor she does not love, Winona chooses to leap from the cliff of Maiden Rock to her death. Who the suitor is depends on the version of the tale. Some versions featured him as a French trapper; others say he is an Indian of another tribe.
In the traditional Dakota language, "Winona" is not a personal name but a general term for a first-born child of any class distinction who happens to be female.
The concept of the central figure as a "princess" is in keeping with a European-American stereotype about Native American "princesses." In fact, the Sioux do not have an equivalent title for "princess" in any of the major dialects.[2]
Today "Winona" has become regularly used as a personal and place name throughout the United States.
Winona, Minnesota is associated with the legend because it was formerly the site of Keoxa. The character of "Princess Winona" has entered popular regional culture. It has been featured in Watkins Incorporated advertising, a prominent statue (currently located by Huff St. between 5th and 6th Streets after being located in other city parks), a stained glass window, and elsewhere.
While the Upper Mississippi version of the legend is the most prominent, there are other sites with variations of this legend.
Mark Twain in Life on the Mississippi wrote: "There are fifty Lover's Leaps along the Mississippi from whose summit disappointed Indian girls have jumped." Other locations with a similar legend include Winona Falls in Pennsylvania, Camden County, Missouri and Cameron Park in Waco, Texas.
The Wenonah Fountain is located in downtown Winona, Minnesota at Windom Park, named after the Politician William Windom,[3] and was donated by William J. Landon in memory of his wife Ida Cone Landon in 1900.[3]