WILSON STORE.

(and PEOPLE'S MARKET, Ebler's Leather shop)

1857 - 1938

© Floyd D. P. Øydegaard.
Wilson's Store - 2007
(Next door to Wilson House - East Main Street)

Originally the two lots were one.

1853 October - J. W. Van Benschoten sells the People's Market to Geo. Wilson and Andrew Hochmuth November, Wilson sells out to Hochmuth.

1853 December - "George Wilson's People's Market is discribed in the deeds as a log building." (Barbara Eastman - 1971)

1856 Hochmuth and Geo. D. Allen sell the People's Market to Soderer and Marshall.

1857 After the August fire, the building is rebuilt of brick and occupied by Swain's seed store and Dr. E. Schmidt's Eagle Drug Store.

1861 Marshall sells to Soderer.

1867 From this time on, the building is divided into 2 separate businesses: the south store (the butcher shop display) was sold to Wm. Shine who rents it to F. P. F. Temple (Francis Pliny Fisk Temple born 13 Feb 1822 - died 22 Apr 1880) who operates the meat market, the north store is Wilson's shoe store.

© Columbia State Historic Park.
Wilson's Store c1890.

1867 James Wilson moves his shoemaking business into the brick building, his family lives behind the store. He shares the space with a barber and a daguerrotypist (John Ross Hicks Art Gallery).

1869 James Wilson buys the building (the north store) from the other two owners.

1873 Joseph Schoettgen buys the south building.

© Columbia State Historic Park.
Rose Wilson.

1876 James Wilson dies and his widow Rose takes over the business, with the help of her daughters Theresa and Annie. The business becomes a dry goods, boots, shoes and gents furnishings.

© Columbia State Historic Park.
Theresa and Annie Wilson.

1888 Schoettgen renovates the south building adding screens to keep out the flies.

© Columbia State Historic Park.
Butcher Shop c1890.

1935/36 A door is cut in the wall between the north and south buildings, the front doors are changed to windows, the entrance is now through the Wilson store. Art Lindsay and Frank Caveron are the butchers.

1938 Theresa (age 79) and Annie (aged 72) close the business and move to San Francisco.

1947 The state purchases the south store from Mabel Draper, the north store from James McConnell.

© Floyd D. P. Øydegaard.
Butcher Shop Display - 2007.

1960's The state creates a Butcher Shop display.

2002 The state renovates the Knapp block which includes the Wilson and People's Market buildings.

© Floyd D. P. Øydegaard.
Docents interpret the Wilson Store - 2007.

2007 The state creates an interpretive area out of the space behind the Wilson and People's Market buildings.

2012 April 15 - Ebler's Leather & Saddlery Emporium opens under Michael & Cheryl Nelson, concessionaires.

Ebler's Leather & Saddlery Emporium
Main Street
Columbia, California
209 532-1811

Page created by
Floyd D. P. Øydegaard.

Email contact:
fdpoyde3 (at) Yahoo (dot) com

A WORK IN PROGRESS,
created for the visitors to the Columbia State Historic park.
© Columbia State Historic Park & Floyd D. P. Øydegaard.