The Native Americans who lived here first for more than 100 years called themselves "sug-waun-dug-oh-win-in-e-wug" or "men of the thick fir woods."That name also fit the lumbermen who, after depleting the eastern forests, turned their eyes to the rich woodlands of this area. There were two lumber companies who had their lumber headquarters in Winton. The KNOX/ST. CROIX LUMBER COMPANY operated from 1893-1923. Their total output was 1 billion board feet of lumber. The SWALLOW & HOPKINS LUMBER COMPANY operated from 1898 - 1922. Their total output was 600 million board feet of lumber. Many of the logs were floated down the Kawishiwi Rapids near my other 2 caches to this beaching area where it was turned into lumber. Much of the land now considered the BWCAW was logged over during this time and the wood brought down to Fall Lake by a narrow gauge rail system. The logs were dumped into Fall Lake and rafted to this spot for the sawmills. The town was named WINTON after Mr. Knox's son-in-law. In its heyday, around 1914, the population of the town reached 2000. When the lumber companies disbanded, many of the houses were moved to Ely.
If you look across the street at the park, imagine what used to be here. On these grounds stood the Winton school(1914-1941). It was a 7 room brick structure that cost $30,000 to build. After the school closed it stood vacant until it became the Ely-Winton Memorial Hospital opened by Dr. Omar Snyker in 1949. Dr. Snyker was a flight surgeon in the UK with the 8th AF during WWII. The hospital closed in 1967 and was then used as a retreat (The House of Peace) by the Benedictine nuns. After a time of vacancy the property was transferred to the City of Winton who then sold it to a private contractor. It was turned into apartments and used for college student housing until it burned in 1980. Today you can still see the original fence pillars, and sidewalks.
Three blocks north at(N 47 55.681' W 091 48.45') in 1987, the original bell was erected as a memorial to all the students who attended the Winton School. The bell and the bricks on which it rests were salvaged from the school when it burned in 1980.