
Progress: Local manufacturers once made waves
Any collector interested in finding Red Wing marine products had better be prepared to travel. The company that started in 1903 as the Red Wing Boat Manufacturing Co. built boats and motors that were sold to governments and boating enthusiasts all over the world. The history is recorded in documents on file at the Goodhue County Historical Society and reminiscences available at the Red Wing Marine Museum and on its Website. Boat and motor manufacturing was a likely venture for the growing river town of Red Wing at the turn of the 20th century. A Winona, Minnesota, man, John Trautner,