NATURE · HISTORICAL MARKER
Kiwanis Stairway
Nature
10
Citizens of Red Wing long sought convenient access to the summit of Mt. La Grange (Barn Bluff) to enjoy the impressive view of the Mississippi valley. In 1889 local civic leader C.C. Webster promoted construction of a path up the west face of the bluff, and built with volunteer labor it became known as Webster's Way. In 1908 members of the Civic League under the leadership of A.W. Pratt organized a community group to rebuild the then long-neglected pathway. For several years thereafter high school seniors, under the supervision of George H. Cook, held an annual half-day work holiday to maintain the path. In 1929 the Red Wing Kiwanis Club sponsored the building of a concrete stairway along Webster's Way to the crest, funded by local citizens who purchased steps inscribed with their names. With its dedication on August 24, 1929 by Gov. Theo. Christianson, the Kiwanis stairway became a point of great interest in the area. Building of the Eisenhower Bridge in 1959 resulted in the removal of much of the stairway, and the steps were reset in 1975–6 along the southeast side of the bluff, where a pathway again provides a means of ascent to the top of one of Red Wing's historic landmarks.
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