Winton

Located on Highway 169 just three miles east of Ely is the City of Winton with a population of 189 (2000 census). Winton shares fire and ambulance service and the school district with the City of Ely. Law enforcement is provided by the St. Louis County Sheriff.

Government

The city has a statutory system of government with a city council composed of Mayor, City Clerk, Treasurer, and three Councilpersons. The council meets on the first Monday of every month at the Winton Community Church. Elections are held on even years.

Services

Water: well system with floride addition
Wastewater: Two-cell stabilization pond system
Operator: Terry Jackson 218-365-4467

History

The first inhabitants of present Winton were the native Americans of the Bois Forts Band of Chippewa. Lumbermen arrived in 1893 when Sam Knox started a mill on the south shore of Fall Lake. R.V. Whiteside and Billy Winton were partners in the operation, which was sold in 1899 and became known as the St. Croix Lumber Company. In 1898 the Swallow & Hopkins Lumber Company was formed.

Click on the picture to enlarge.
Courtesy of the Ely-Winton Historical Society

Soon a community was established with a schoolhouse built for the 18 students in 1894. In 1898 Robert and sophia Whiteside recorded a plat of land immediately south of the Knox Mill location to form the Village of Fall Lake. Streets and alleys were mapped in 1899 and in 1903 the Village was officially organized. The area was commonly known as Winton, after Billy Winton, one of the original partners in the Knox Mill, and the name was officially changed in 1914, with a population of 2000. At the time of the lumber boom there were hotels, stores, saloons, boarding houses, a blacksmith and livery stable, community hall, post office, school, and hospital. In 1901, the Community Church was built as a Methodist outreach. The Duluth, Mesabi & Northern Railway provided passenger and freight service.

As the lumber mills closed, the population declined and many buildings and the railway system were removed. In 1968 the City of Winton annexed the St. Croix location, home of the lumber mills.

For more information on Winton's history, please see Margaret Sweet's excellent book Winton, The Town that Lumber Built.

Contact the City of Winton

To send an email to the City Clerk, please complete the form below. Fields with an asterisk (*) are required.