Borden
Transcribed from "An Illustrated History of The Big Bend Country, embracing
Lincoln, Douglas, Adams, and Franklin Counties", published by Western Historical
Publishing Co., 1904.
GEORGE W. BORDEN has practically
given his life to the stock business and the result is, he is one of the
most skillful and well-to-do men in this industry in central Washington.
He has over sixteen hundred head of fine horses on the range, all well
bred, fine animals. He has some very fine stallions and his stock
is known as the best to be found. He resides about thirty-five miles
west from Connell, in Franklin county, near the old government trail across
the Columbia river at White Bluffs. The place where he has his headquarters
was taken by Jordan Williams in 1861 and is one of the oldest and best
known stock ranches in the state. Mr. Borden has a half section under
fence and controls as much more. He raises considerable hay and some
general crops and has the place supplied with substantial buildings and
other improvements necessary in his business.
George W. Borden was born in Crawford county,
Ohio, March 4, 1867, the son of Alexander and Mary (Kounrode) Borden, natives
of Indiana and pilgrims across the plains to New Mexico and Colorado in
1872. Later they came on to the Pacific coast and now live at Ellensburg,
in this state. George W. attended the common school at Farmington,
New Mexico, and Animas City, Colorado, and the major portion of his early
life was spent in handling stock in Colorado, being in the employ of George
Thompson, then the cattle king of that country. He came with his
father to Tillamook county, Oregon, and a short time thereafter journeyed
to Washington. He began herding sheep for Ralston and Stevens.
In 1882 he entered the employ of Jordan Williams and David Kuntz and handled
horses and cattle for some time. Mr. Williams was one of the very
first settlers on the Columbia river in Washington, having his headquarters
at White Bluffs, where our subject now resides. A short time after
this, Mr. Borden took charge of Hy Cabler's horses and for fourteen years
attended them. In 1895 he filed on a homestead where he now lives
and since then has been in the horse business for himself. In addition
to other improvements, Mr. Borden has a fine ferry operated by horse power.
It crosses the Columbia without a cable and the only one of its kind on
the river. Mr. Borden has three brothers and four sisters, John F.,
Zack, James, Mrs. Emma Gardiner, Mrs. Lillie Protter, Mrs. Mary Ibersen,
and Mrs. Rose Coffin.
At Pasco, in Franklin county, on March 11,
1897, Mr. Borden married Miss Minnie Wright. She is a step daughter
of Captain Edward Craig, who lives in Kittitas county, across the Columbia
from White Bluffs, and was born in Missouri, in 1880. Mrs. Borden
has one brother and three sisters, Irving, Mrs. Lottie Belden, Mrs. Percy
McCarter, and Hattie. To our subject and his wife, three children
have been born, Archie, at Pasco, in April, 1898; Loyal J., at White Bluffs,
in 1899, and Cecil G., at White Bluffs, on October 2, 1903. Mrs.
Borden's sister, Hattie, makes her home with our subject. Mr. Borden
is a member of the K. of P. and his wife belongs to the Chiristian Endeavor
church. They are excellent people and have many friends.
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