CHAPTER V. 



THE GEOLOGY OF WINONA COUNTY. 



BY N. H. WINCHELL. 



Situation and area. This county (plate 9) borders on the Mississippi river, 

 and lies north of Houston and Fillmore counties. It is about triangular in 

 shape, the Mississippi river being a hypothenuse, running from northwest 

 to southeast. Its land and water area is 638.92 square miles, or, in acres. 

 408,909.90. The county contains no lakes, except Winona lake, which is 

 simply a portion of the wide alluvial area of the Mississippi, and subject to 

 flooding at a high stage of that river, though probably sustained principally 

 by springs along the base of the bluffs. Winona is the county seat. St. 

 Charles, Stockton and Minnesota City are the other principal towns. 



SURFACE FEATURES. 



Natural drainage. The surface waters all pass into the Mississippi, but 

 some of them leave the county toward the north and south before reaching 

 it. The Whitewater is the only stream that actually crosses the county. 

 It runs from St. Charles northwardly, entering the Mississippi at, or near 

 Minneiska in Wabasha county. At Elba it is joined by the Middle and 

 North branches of the Whitewater, and at Beaver by the Beaver creek. 

 The Rollingstone with its various spreading tributaries, is an important 

 stream. Its valleys are wide and contain numerous large and valuable 

 farms within the rock-bluffs that outline the valley proper. This stream 

 joins the Mississippi valley at Minnesota City, and finally reaches its waters 

 through sloughs that cross the wide bottom-lands. Other streams that join 

 the great river in Winona county are small but remarkably permanent in 

 the amount of water they discharge. Pine, Money, Rush and other creeks 

 leave the county in a southerly direction, most of them entering Root 



