In 1957, Dr. C.A. “Clay” Rohrer, with the assistance of the Winona Rose Society, persuaded the city to establish a rose garden on an expansive plot in East Lake Park. Fifty bushes were installed that first year, but over with donations and memorials, the numbers of roses grew. By 1971, there were over 1,000. In 1975, the garden took on the name of the local dentist that had spearheaded its inception. Today it still has over 200 roses of about 35 varieties that spread in raised beds from a gazebo in the center. The park is situated on the edge of Lake Winona with picturesque Sugar Loaf in the background.
