Princess Winona

Winona or Wenonah is a Dakota Sioux character in a "Lover's Leap" romantic legend set at Maiden Rock, which is on the Wisconsin side of Lake Pepin in the United States. Winona is said to have leaped to her death from this high precipice rather than marry a suitor she did not love. This theme is found in a number of apocryphal, post-contact tales in the place-name lore of North America.

The legend Photo of the statue in Central Park, Winona, MN, here seen on the cover of a promotional cookbook. There are several variations of the story. Winona's father is sometimes said to be Chief Wabasha (Wapasha) of a village identified as Keoxa, now known as Winona, Minnesota, or perhaps Chief Red Wing of what is now Red Wing, Minnesota. Rather than marry a suitor she does not love, Winona chooses to leap from the cliff of Maiden Rock to her death.

Analysis Similar tales are told in many places in the Midwestern United States, Other Lover's Leap locations with a similar legend include Winona Falls in Pennsylvania, Camden County, Missouri and Cameron Park in Waco, Texas.

Adaptations Legends of the Northwest, by Hanford Lennox Gordon (1836–1920), contains a lengthy poetic version of this story, entitled "Winona, a Legend of the Dakotas" A sculpture of the Indian Maiden Wenonah is located in downtown Winona, Minnesota at Windom Park. and was donated by William J. Landon in memory of his wife Ida Cone Landon in 1900.

Emilio DeGrazia, a professor of Winona State University, and a published author, wrote a short play about her life entitled Winona: A Romantic Tragedy. This play has been performed on stage and published in book form.