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Biography
Newton Horace Winchell (1839–1914) was an American geologist responsible for the six-volume The Geology of Minnesota: Final Report of the Geological and Natural History Survey of Minnesota, which is the work of Winchell and his assistants. A bibliography of his publications by Warren Upham in the Bulletin of the Geological Society of America (volume 26, pp. 27–46) contains almost 300 titles.
Born in New York State, Winchell attended public school in Connecticut and then taught school in Connecticut and Michigan. While teaching in Michigan he graduated from the University of Michigan and received a Master of Arts degree in 1867. He then did geological studies in Michigan, Ohio, and New Mexico.
Winchell settled in Minnesota in 1872 when he was appointed to direct "The Geological and Natural History Survey of Minnesota". At the same time he taught courses in geology, botany, and zoology at the University of Minnesota. He had a reputation for "great diligence and honesty" (Merrill, 1964) and was considered "an honest, very competent geologist" (Thrapp, 1990).
When he accompanied the Custer expedition to the Black Hills of South Dakota in 1874, Winchell prepared the first geological map of that area. Winchell was also one of the founders of the Geological Society of America, a chief organizer of the Minnesota Academy of Sciences, and president of several societies.
The Minnesota Historical Society, led by Minnesota State Geologist Winchell, investigated the Kensington Runestone in 1909-1910. They were most interested in the physical aspects of the stone and the location of the find.
Winchell made three trips to Kensington, examining the find site, the similar glacier-carried boulders in the area, and interviewing Olaf Ohman (the finder of the stone), his neighbors, and townspeople. Professor Winchell recorded his observations, sketch maps, and interviews in a pocket field notebook. He wrote in his notebook: "I had a long talk with Mr. Ohman, and am impressed with the evident candor and truthfulness of all his statements".
Winchell's geological examination of the Kensington Runestone has been adduced to suggest that the runestone is authentic.
The Winchell Trail in southeast Minneapolis is named after Winchell. The trail runs about 2.5 miles along the west bank of the Mississippi River from Franklin Avenue to Minnehaha Park. His namesake is also attributed to Winchell Lake located in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, within Cook County in Northeastern Minnesota.