Nevada City, California

This rare 1850s photo depicts a group of men posing at P. J. Espenscheid's Boot & Shoe store at Nevada City, California. The earliest newspaper advertisements I could find for this business were from late September, 1851. An advertisement from the April 11, 1852 edition of The Nevada Journal contained the following advertisement:

Boot and Shoemaker, P. J. ESPENSCHEID would respectfully inform the ladies and gentlemen of Nevada and vicinity, that he has permanently located himself on the corner of Main and Commercial streets, where he will keep constantly on hand a large assortment of Boots and Shoes, Leather and Findings.

A notice published in the paper on April 25, 1856 stated that Espenscheid was leaving for the East, and that all accounts must be settled without delay. A June 4, 1858 legal notice stated that all interest in the estate of P. J. Espenscheid (deceased) would be sold at public auction.