- George M. Gere started the first shop in the county for the manufacture and repair of boots and shoes.
- First marriage on Wabasha Prairie was that of S.K. Thompson and Mrs. Sutherland. It was performed by the Rev. Edward Ely on Nov. 9, 1852.
- In 1852, the first general merchandise store in the little settlement was opened by Jacob S. Denman.
- In June, 1853, the first general store in the county was opened by George H. Sanborn and W. H. Colborn. Then in 1855, Sanborn and E.L. King started in the forwarding and commission and wholesale and retail grocery trade at the foot of Johnson street.
- The first justice of peace in Wabasha Prairie, as Winona was known, was Timothy Burns, who had been appointed by Gov. Alexander Ramsey.
- First representative in the legislature to serve from within the limits of what is now Winona County was O.M. Lord, who was elected in the fall of 1853 to the fifth territorial legislature.
- The first weekly newspaper west of the Mississippi, which was also Minnesota’s first weekly, was the “Argus” established in Winona Sept. 20, 1854, by William A. Jones and Samuel Melvin.
- Winona’s first steam mill was built in November 1855.
- The first wagon made in Winona was completed in 1855.
- The first timothy crop in Winona County was raised by William Davidson in June 1855. George W. Clark pioneered wheat raising in 1853. First export of the crop, 130,000 bushels, was made in 1859.
- The first weekly mail to Chatfield occurred Aug. 1, 1855, and the first daily mail from the East arrived Nov. 11, 1857. First daily mail to Mankato left Winona July 1, 1862.
- In September 1856, the first steam planing mill was erected. During the same month, the first steam flouring mill was built.
- April 7, 1857, was the date of the first city election in Winona.
- The first fire company was organized here May 17, 1857.
- The advent of brick construction in Winona County occurred in 1857. The first brick dwelling was build in September 1857 and the first brick store a month later.
- First telegraph message was received here July 1, 1860.
- Schools and courts were established here before 1860. The first graded school was established Nov. 4, 1857, and the first district court under state organization Nov. 17, 1858.
- The first Winona County agricultural fair was held Oct. 30, 1858.
- Illuminating gas was introduced in Winona on April 1, 1871.
- “Col. DeGraff, the good genius and preserver in adversity of the Winona and St. Peter (rail) road, having completed ten miles of the road to Stockton, ran the first passenger car to that place on the 9th of December, 1862 — the first train ever run in the west of the Mississippi.” — from “Winona Illustrated,” 1888.
Firsts in Winona
What started as the state’s first teachers college has evolved into a national recognized university
The oldest home in Winona County — built in 1853. Photo undated.
On Thursdays, everything old is new again, as each week we've looked back at what was news in Winona in the "good old days." Here's a sampling…
View historic photos of Winona County scenes. Photos courtesy of the Winona County Historical Society Archives and reader submissions.
A disastrous fire wiped out nine-tenths of the business district of Winona in 1862, with a loss of $300,000.
