By 1886, quarrying at Sugar Loaf Bluff was already destroying the crown of a landmark long known above Winona. The operation that created the unusual formation at the top supplied limestone for Winona's sidewalks and for trim on many brick buildings before work ended before World War I. Rising more than 450 feet above Winona, the peak was originally a rounded dome with a fringe of evergreen on its crown and was familiar to early explorers, traders, tourists, and river boat pilots. An often repeated legend held that the mountain was Chief Wabasha's red cap, originally given to him by a British officer, and early narratives called the site Wabasha's Cap.