The Legend of Maiden Rock
There are many versions of the legend of Wenona, daughter of the Dakota chief Red Wing who fell in love with White Eagle, a member of the alien Chippewas.
Some stories tell us that Red Wing demanded that Wenona reject White Eagle and marry Chief Kewaukee, an aged warrior of her own Dakota tribe. Red Wing ordered that White Eagle be hunted down and killed.
Wenona ran to warn her lover and found him waiting for her on a high bluff over looking Lake pepin. He pleaded with her to go with him to his own people. It was too late! Red Wing's men had ascended the bluff and, as they had been ordered, shot an arrow into the breast of White Eagle, killing him instantly.
Before the approaching warriors could stop her, the distraught Wenona rushed to the edge of the bluff and jumped to her death on the rocks far below. This bluff, now called Maiden Rock, is on the east bank of Lake Pepin, a constant reminder of this tragic legend.