Location
Pine Island is in Goodhue County "The island proper is formed by the middle branch of the Zumbro, which circles around the present village, enclosing a tract once thickly studded with tall pine trees. . . . This spot was one of the favorite resorts of the Dakota Indians. They called it Wa-zee-wee-ta, Pine Island, and here in their skin tents they used to pass the cold winter months, sheltered from the winds and storms by the thick branches of lofty pines. The chief of Red Wing's village told the commissioners of the United States, when asked to sign the treaty that would require his people to relinquish their home on the Mississippi River, that he was willing to sign it if he could have his future home at Pine Island" (Hancock, p. 288). "Between the two branches of the Zumbro River, which unite a short distance below, there was quite a forest of pine, which could be seen for a long distance over the prairie, giving it quite the appearance of an Island in the sea" (Mitchell, p. 118). From: Upham, Warren. Minnesota Place Names: A Geographical Encyclopedia. St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Historical Society Press, First edition 1920. Third Edition 2001. Print.
