Some exciting construction started at the Winona County History Center in March! The River Gallery, a multi-exhibit area touching on themes of the Mississippi River and its watershed, is set to open in June 2026. One exhibit in particular has started taking shape with the guidance and expertise of former boathouse-dweller Gina Favano.

About Gina’s Project

Gina Favano—artist, writer, archivist, and exhibit designer—is the creator of Back Channel Radio. This oral documentary project that narrates the history of Winona’s boathouse community and the people that came together to legally sanction their homes on the Mississippi River. If you’ve listened to Back Channel Radio, you might understand just how significant these stories are to our shared history. Much of Winona’s boathouse history was documented by long-time community member John Rupkey and housed in the Latsch Island Phone and Power Service, better known as LIPPS. Gina writes, “Initially the only goal was to transcribe the many hours of conversations so they could be properly archived at the Winona County Historical Society. The project then grew to include digitizing the hundreds of documents John had carefully saved for decades, for the same archives.” Director Carrie Johnson approached Gina about a potential exhibit highlighting these stories. The exhibit development took off from there! The original project has grown exponentially and will become its own exhibit in our River Gallery, marking a significant point in our community-led effort to interpret the history of the Winona boathouse community.

“Stay Afloat! The Latsch Island Boathouse Community”

People in the DIY boating community hold an informal motto: “Stay Afloat!” It is more than a metaphor — it is a sentiment for others to keep their boats and their dreams above water, regardless of what tactical or financial obstacles might stand in their way.

The “Stay Afloat” exhibit will feature a built boathouse structure that offers visitors the opportunity to experience aspects of boathouse life. Some original pieces of the LIPPS boathouse will appear there, paired with interviews from Back Channel Radio. The interviews of Chris Parnell, Ernie Blaskowski, John Rupkey, Judge Dennis Challeen, Leslie Eaton, Tyra Falk, Anna Davis, and Gerty Tonjum will guide visitors through the exhibit, offering insight into the daily lives of our community members. More opportunities to contribute stories for the exhibit will be available through our oral history program.

Acknowledgements

The Winona County History Center offers our sincere gratitude to Gina Favano, Gerty Tonjum, Anna Davis, Rick Strain, and all boathouse community members who have contributed to the construction and content development of this exhibit!

We look forward to sharing all of their hard work with you in June! In the meantime, check out Gina’s documentation of this project on her Instagram: @backchannelraido