Bus Tour of Polish Sites in Winona
Winona was the largest Polish settlement in Minnesota and the majority of immigrants arrived there between 1855-1890. The footprint of where the Polish immigrants lived is still present in different parts of the city.
Whether your Polish ancestors settled in Winona, or you are just interested in seeing the Polish neighborhoods and hearing stories about them, we invite you to join us in this unique venue.
Bus Tour
We are renting a school bus from 10 AM – 12:15 PM, which will drive by a number of Polish sites in Winona. Joe Hughes (PGS-MN member and Winona Polish Historian) will provide background information as well as stories about the Winona Polish immigrants as we tour the different sites. This will provide you with a sense of what the immigrants’ lives were like when they settled in Winona (where they lived, worked, socialized, attended church, etc.).
Lunch and Discussion
We have a room reserved at the Winona County Historical Society for a box lunch and there will be further discussion. Following lunch, there will be a tour of the Historical Society, followed by a tour of the Polish Cultural Center and Museum. We will end by 3:30 PM so you have the option to stop at other sites in Winona on your own before returning home (Marine Art Museum, Watkins Museum, St. Marys Cemetery, etc.).
Cost
You will need to find your own transportation to Winona and should arrive by 9:30 AM. We will set up a process for carpooling if there is interest to save on the cost of gas. The drive to Winona is very scenic and enjoyable!
The cost per person is $40. This includes the bus tour, box lunch, presentation by Joe Hughes, and tours of the Winona County Historical Society and the Polish Cultural Center & Museum. We are not limiting this to PGS-MN members so we welcome you to bring family members, friends.
More detailed information has been sent to all PGS-MN members by email regarding registration for the event. See the Membership tab on the home page of this website, then click Join/Renew for payment options.
For questions, contact us at: pgsminnesota@gmail.com
We hope you will join us for this unique opportunity!