Laird Lucas Library & Archives
Know Before
YOU GO
Location: Level B of Winona County History Center
*Appointments Required*
Open by appointment Monday – Wednesday. To submit a research request or to schedule an in-person appointment, please contact research@winonahistory.org or call 507.454.2723 ext. 2. Thank you!
Note: Please contact archives staff for our pricing menu before submitting any online payments.
Archival
SOURCES
Local Newspapers
1855 – Present
City Directories
1866 – Present
Vital Statistics
1854 – Present
Birth Records
1870 – Present
Death Records
1870 – 1929
Marriage Licenses
1854 – 1977
Cemetery Records
Plat Maps
Archival Collections, Photos, & Library
Online
SOURCES
Donate To Our
COLLECTION
The Winona County Historical Society accepts artifact donations that have connection to Winona County history themes.
Please contact the Curator for donation questions or to make an appointment for item drop-off. Donors will be asked to complete a temporary custody form which outlines the origin of the object being donated. Please note that the WCHS reserves the right to keep, lend, or otherwise dispose of donated material.
Email: curator@winonahistory.org.
Phone: 507-454-2723 ext.
Archives
ON EXHIBIT
*This exhibit will be CLOSED to visitors on weekends while updates continue.*
Minnesconsin: Dick Lano’s Photography of the Winona area in the 1970s
‘Minnesconsin’ is a state of mind that spans the Mississippi just like a bridge connecting Minnesota and Wisconsin. Richard “Dick” Lano personifies this connection. He was born and raised in Winona, as was his wife Betsy (Burleigh) Lano. In the 1970s they moved their family across the river to Bluff Siding. There he and his family built a home in Chicken Valley and he operated a photography studio.
He picked up photography as a youth and began documenting his trips to the Boundary Waters and out West, his hometown, his friends, and the Minnesconsin region. This exhibit offers a retrospective of Dick’s work mostly from the 1970s. It affords us insight into the evolution of his artistic vision from amateur to professional.
This exhibit is located on Level B of the History Center.
Minnesota Digital Library Online Collection
Winona at your fingertips — in the past and in the present. Navigate to the WCHS Minnesota Digital Library Page to investigate the selection of digitized images from Winona County Historical Society collections! From school buildings to famous entertainers to river travel, this photographic compilation will carry you back to early days in Winona County.
MN Collections Online
Over 200 items from WCHS collections digitized just for you. MN Collections offers a look into Winona County Historical Society’s photograph and artifact collections. With over 200 total items for you to peruse, this page is sure to keep you busy learning about the Winona County of the past and what you might still see in the present.
