History

• Winthrop was established in 1858 as a stagecoach stop between Henderson and Fort Ridgely, and was originally known as “Eagle City.” The town was officially incorporated in 1881, and was named after Massachusetts Bay Colony Governor John Winthrop. It became an important railroad center for many years.
• Winthrop is located in Sibley County. Major highways in the town include 19 and 15.
• The 1st settlers in Winthrop were Erick and Brita Olson. They arrived in 1869, and what is currently the town site was their farmland until 1881. It was then that Erick platted the town site, and with the arruval of the railroad in 1881 as well, growth of the town was assured.
• Winthrop was named by E-A Campbell, who played a prominent role in the building of the new town. He was the Postmaster at the Eagle City Post Office, and when he moved to the town site in 1881, the post office came with him. Campbell at one time owned all the buildings on the east side of Carver Street, north from 2nd to 3rd.
• In it’s early days, WInthrop was the prinicipal business town in Sibley County. It was the largest wheat market on the Pacific Division of the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railways. Within a month after the town site was platted in 1881, a half-dozen or more establishments had set up shop.
• In 1929. the annual busniess meeting for Winthrop Cooperative Creamery Association was held at the new modern creamery. The volume of business at the new creamery for the fiscal year1928 was over 313-thousand pounds of butter. The average price for butter sold then was 45-point-8-cents, and for butterfat was 53-point-2-cents.
• Winthrop native Doug Lindstrom is a renowned Alaskan artist. Another famous Winthropian is W-C-C-O Radio’s Roger Erickson.

Businesses

• Winthrop is paired with Fairfax and Gibbon to make the G-F-W School District. Their mascot is the Thunderbird, and the high school is located in Winthrop. The 3 schools paired up in 1987, and prior to that WInthrop teams were known as the Warriors. The students of G-F-W have their own T-V show on a public access channel: K-G-F-W T-V.
• Some of Winthrop’s major industries include: Mid-America Dairy, a maker of butter and dried milk which receives over 90-thousand pounds of milk daily from area farmers. Heartland Corn Products is an ethanol plant; and the company formerly called Richcraft was split into 2 different companies. They are called Guidecraft and Kathelyn Manufacturing.
• The Heartland Corn Products ethanol plant recently undertook a major expansion project. The company increased output of 36-million gallons of ethanol per year up to 100-million. The company is now able to ship it’s product up to 1-thousand-500 by truck, unit train, or single car.

Festivals & Events

• The big summer celebration in Winthrop is the “Farm City Funfest.” Winthrop has hosted the festival, which was previously called Town and COuntry Days, for over 50 years. It takes place in July.
• Winthrop celebrates the return of the grackle every year with “Grackle Days.” The idea for the celebration is based on the annual return of the swallows to Capistrano, Spain. Grackle Days festivities take place in April.
• During the Christmas season, Winthrop celebrates “Santa Claus Day.” The day features Santa and Mrs. Claus, of course, and lots of special deals at retailers throughout town.

People

• The City of Winthrop has a population of approximately 1,300 people. The Mayor is David Trebelhorn.
• Winthrop’s new wind turbine was completed in 2010. The 120-foot tall turbine on the south end of Winthrop is part of a project through the Minnesota Municipal Power Association. All of the electricity produced by the turbine will be used in Winthrop.
• In 2010 the CIty of Winthrop’s administration began working on a plan to bring high-speed fiber optic internet access to the entire community. The proposal calls for building a city-wide network that would provide instant internet access to all residents. Winthrop Mayor Dave Trebelhorn says it would allow the city to read electric and gas meters without entering a home, amongst other innovations.
• The Winthrop Public Library expanded in 2010 and the Winthrop City Council chambers were moved to the second floor of the Winthrop City Hall to accommodate the expansion.
• The Winthrop Vets Club closed it’s doors for good in 2010. The decision was made to close the Vets Club at the end of the business day on March 30th because revenue was not keeping up with expenses.
• The City of Winthrop’s 26th annual Grackle Days celebration was held in 2010. Committee member Jenny Hazelton said that Grackle Days celebrates the return of the grackles every year to the Winthrop area, and that every year’s celebration has a different theme. Grackle Days 2010 included the To Tell The Truth Soup and Sandwich Luncheon, a Price Is Right spaghetti dinner, and the 64-Thousand-Dollar Question Queen Pageant.
• Miss Winthrop 2010 was Courtney Klehr, the daughter of John and Kim Klehr. First Princess 2010 was Meghan Kammerlander, the daughter of Deb and Tony Kammerlander, and named Second Princess was Kendra Lange, the daughter of Duane and Wanda Lange.
• In 2010 a GFW High School senior earned a bronze medal at the International Sustainable Energy, Engineering, and Environment Project Olympiad, or I-SWEEP. Cassidy Sloot, the daughter of Harry and Kellie Sloot, won with her project “Can Water Give You Gas?” The event was held in Houston, Texas and featured students from 70 countries and 48 of the 50 states. Sloot’s project earned a bronze award for energy and $400 in the Senior Division.
• The City of Winthrop opened a skateboarding park in 2010. The skate park features several ramps and some rails. Skaters wishing to enjoy the park must first obtain a registration card and sign a liability waiver. They are available at Winthrop City Hall or online at www.winthropminnesota.com
• A housing development in the City of Winthrop has lots for sale for $1. The Winthrop City Council approved a request by the Winthrop Economic Development Authority in 2010 to sell lots on Linden Lane in the northeast corner of Winthrop for only a dollar in an effort to spur further sales. The lots had been selling for $20,000. The $1 deal is good through the end of 2011. The assessments on the lots will still need to be paid by the purchaser.
• Miss Winthrop 2011 was crowned as part of the Grackle Day’s celebration. Miss Winthrop 2011 was Heidi Sloot, the daughter of Harry and Kelly Sloot. First Princess was Lexi Platz, the daughter of Paul and Donita Platz, and Miss Congeniality was Jannette Banda, the daughter of Marietta Portal.
• Lynette Froehlich of Winthrop was named Nurse Of The Year in Long Term Care by the March of Dimes. Froehlich was selected for one of the 15 awards given for different areas of nursing from over 230 candidates. Froehlich is the Assistant Director of Nursing at Glencoe Regional Health Services Long Term Care.
• Ellen Anderson and Megan Schmidt partnered with Guide Point Pharmacy to bring a drugstore to Winthrop, and purchased the former Hanson Drug building. Mayor Dave Trebelhorn said it’s a great thing for the community.
• Voters in the GFW School District approved a levy in 2011 that nearly doubled the district’s current tax levy. The referendum asked GFW residents to revoke the district’s current $468 per pupil levy and replace it with a $870, 10 year levy. GFW Superintendent Tony Boyer said the $401 dollar increase is needed just to cover the district’s declining enrollment.
• The Chief of Police for Winthrop ended a 25 year career in 2011. Chief Bruce Froehlich began working part time with the Winthrop Police Department in 1986. He became a full time officer 5 years later, and has served as the city’s police chief for the past ten years. The Winthrop City Council chose Karen Johnson to be the city’s Chief of Police in 2011.

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