Winger honors their brave, fallen soldiers with their Memorial Park

There may not have been color guard or a marching band this year at the Winger American Legion Memorial Day program, but the ceremony was still felt special as the Memorial Park in Winger is one of the most beautiful in Northwest Minnesota.

The Memorial Park was completed in the spring of 1920 after the community had spent more than a thousand dollars in cash and a considerable amount of donated labor in its construction.

The land was donated by J.O. Hovland and Herman Loitten, to the Winger Citizen's Club in 1919. 

The club appointed a committee to promote the park program. 

Plans had been discussed to erect a war memorial in the new park but a shortage of funds postponed these plans.

When the Winger American Legion Post was organized in the spring of 1923 the matter came up again. The new post did not wish to take over the entire responsibility but agreed to a plan in which there would be many different organizations involved in the making of the park war memorial.

The Soldier's Memorial Monument was constructed of Hardwick, Vermont granite and bears the names of servicemen from the area who died in World War I on one side and a list of 87 men who served on the other.

The monument was dedicated on Sunday afternoon, June 14, 1925.

More thank 5,000 people attended the unveiling. The speaker at the services was the national vice commander of the American Legion.

In 1986, the Winger Post 200 decided, after discussion and planning for some time, to buy, erect and dedicate a second monument. 

This monument honors all the area men and women who served in WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam and all future conflicts for freedom and national defence.

The monument was dedicated in the summer of 1987.

This was accomplished by the leadership and urging of Post Commander Julian Helgaas, Adjutant Orville Messelt, Memorial Park Director Clarence Harvey and all the members of the Fengestad Solie American Legion Post 200.