George H. Sanborn came in to the county early in the spring of 1853 and settled on Wabasha’s Prairie. Soon after William H. Colburn came on and joined him there. About the middle of June these two young men open the first store in the city, with a general assortment of goods. For temporary occupancy, the “car house” of Denman was moved to Lot 5, block 10, and covered with a shingled roof. There they commenced business as Sanborn & Colburn. During the summer they built a store on the corner of the same lot, about 20 x 40, two stories high, and continued doing business until the spring of 1854, when Mr. Colburn withdrew and a new firm was formed, consisting of G.H. Sanborn and M.K. Drew. E.L. King became a partner the same spring. They carried on the business during that season and then sold their stock of goods to Dr. Childs, who continued business for short time in the same location. In 1855 Sanborn & King started in the forwarding and commission and wholesale and retail grocery business at the foot of Johnson Street.
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Mr. Sanborn, in 1856, built a very large three-story building on the river, at the foot of Washington Street, which was known as Sanborn’s warehouse. The third story of this building was used as a hall for public meetings. It was filled up with a stage and scenery by the Philharmonic Society soon after it was first organized, and used by them until they moved to their present location. The building was torn down many years ago by the railroad company, into whose possession the property passed.
Soon after he came here in 1853, Mr. Sanborn purchased the Viets claim and subsequently had it surveyed and plotted. It is now known as Sanborn’s Addition. He built his first residence on this claim in 1855, a small story and a half house on the corner of Lafayette and Wabasha Street. It is yet standing, and forms a part of the present residence of J.L. Brink. Mr. Sanborn was engaged in business for several years and Winona.
As an incident of early days, an adventure of Mr. Sanborn’s, brought to the mind of the writer, is worthy of notice. Mr. Sanborn was the owner of a pair of fine driving horses. One of those was a valuable horse, which was used as a saddle horse, though broke into harness, he had nothing that he considered suitable to drive him in during the winter. Having business in St. Paul, he adopted the idea of taking his horse with him and bringing back a stylish cutter. There was not sufficient snow to drive up, and he proposed to ride his horse to St. Paul.
On January 1, 1855, he started on his trip, taking along a new single harness, with blankets and a buffalo skin, on which he proposed to ride, instead of a saddle, expecting to reach Wabasha that day. He went up Straight Slough on the ice. When he reached Haddock Slough, about where S.M. Burns lost his horses two years before, his horse broke through the ice, which was then at that place, and took Mr. Sanborn into the water with him. With some difficulty he crawled out on the ice, which was brittle, and gave way to his weight. He was within about 20 rods of the shore, for which he was headed when the accident occurred.
The day was intensely cold, with a piercing wind, and a cold bath was far from agreeable with the thermometer showing zero. His horse remained afloat and broke the ice in his efforts to climb out after his master. Mr. Sanborn hastened to the shore and procured some logs of wood and rocks, with which he broke the ice and opened the channel to where the water was less than two feet deep. The intelligent animal followed him closely, but was but was unable to climb out on the ice. He was chilled through by the length of time he had been in the water. Mr. Sanborn was completely exhausted from the fatigue and cold, he having slipped in several times while breaking the ice.
Feeling benumbed and unable to do more for his horse, he started after help. When he reached Mr. Burley's, nearly a mile below, he was almost unconscious. His clothing was frozen stiff and solid, and he was compelled to crawl on his hands and knees to reach the house. He was taken care of, and men went up to help the horse, if it be he was not beyond help. They found him dead. Mr. Sanborn had loosened the harness and blankets while the horse was in the deep water, and they had floated away under the ice.
Mr. Sanborn recovered from his exposure with some frost bites, but without any serious illness following. He returned to Winona as soon as he was able to be moved, which was in a day or two after, and sent to St. Paul for his cutter, which was brought down by the mail carrier. His second best horse was promoted and became the pet.
About 1859 he closed up his affairs here and went East to live. He is now in Northern Dakota, where it is reported that he has some made some fortune speculations as a pioneer in that locality.
