History & local legend
Winona Cliff on Mount Minsi is associated with the lovers' tragedy Luke W. Brodhead included in his nineteenth-century book about the Delaware Water Gap. In the tale, Winona, the daughter of a local Indigenous leader, forms a close attachment to Hendrick Van Allen, a Dutch overseer of nearby copper mines.
Winona promises to show Hendrick the view from the Pennsylvania side of the gap. When he returns from a business trip, they paddle down the Delaware in her red canoe and climb the mountain. She points out familiar trees and streams, but he is unusually quiet. He is carrying orders to close the mines and return to Holland.
At the summit, Winona persuades him to explain. Learning that he must leave her, she moves toward the cliff's edge. Hendrick catches her in an attempt to save her, but both fall.
Sources
- Luke W. Brodhead, The Delaware Water Gap, Its Legends and Early History, 1867, chapter “Winona, or the Story of Lover’s Leap”
- Monroe County Historical Association, Amy Leiser, full retelling
- Skylands Visitor, historical Mount Minsi walking route distinguishing Winona Cliff from Council Rock and the Promontory
- Library of Congress, historic photograph identified by viewpoint
- MyHikes, GPS track and Lake Lenape trailhead
- Monroe County, Appalachian Trail loop description
