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The Sea Wing was a stern-wheel rafter, 135-feet long, 22-feet in height - her height was said to make her skittish in wind - weighing about 110 tons. She was built in 1888 and operated out of Diamond Bluff, Wis., across the river and north of Red Wing.
Sunday, July 13, 1890, was hot, oppressive, close.
The Sea Wing and barge left Diamond Bluff at 8:40 a.m., for a daylong pleasure cruise on Lake Pepin. She reached her destination in Lake City at about 11:30 a.m. where passengers disembarked.
Though scheduled to leave Lake City at 7 p.m., the Sea Wing may not have departed until about 8 p.m. The Sea Wing had made it less than halfway back to Red Wing when swallowed by storms, causing it to capsize. 98 people were killed, 77 who called Red Wing home.