Udder gridlock: Stray cows tie up traffic in downtown Red Wing

Downtown Red Wing was a scene of udder gridlock this week as a small herd of cows escaped their trailer and roamed downtown.

Red Wing police responded to a report of stray livestock on Main Street around 10:45 p.m. Wednesday. Sure enough, they found half a dozen Holsteins wandering aimlessly around the intersection of Highway 61 and Plum Street. One of the dairy cows ambled toward the High Bridge and the pastures of Wisconsin on the other side of the river.

"The cows just kind of stood around on Highway 61," said Red Wing Police Chief Roger Pohlman. Three officers parked their cars around the cows in an improptu corral and coaxed the herd out of traffic and into the safety of a nearby parking lot. A little later, a farmer called, looking for his cows.

"Best we can figure out, a farmer was transporting his cows through town when the latch came open, the gate came open, and six of his cows" came out to stretch their legs in Red Wing," Pohlman said. The farmer apparently didn't notice his herd was short half a dozen cows until he arrived as his destination — which the Associated Press identified as Hager City, Wis. "Only when he reached his destination did he realize the cows weren't there."

Red Wing police are used to the occasional deer or raccoon wandering through town, but cows were a first. The roundup ended without injury to the cows or damage to any property, Pohlman said.

"This is the first time we've had cows on Main Street," he said. "The nice thing with dairy cows is that they're used to being milked every morning and night, so it's easier to herd them. If this had been beef cattle, they could have been everywhere."

Photo: Jeffrey Chaldler via Associated Press