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Grass Valley,CA - Nevada County - c1890 - Holbrooke Hotel Photograph :

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Photographic Images Start Price:75.00 USD Estimated At:150.00 - 300.00 USD
Grass Valley,CA - Nevada County - c1890 - Holbrooke Hotel Photograph :
A view down Main Street in Grass Valley with the Holbrooke Hotel standing on the left side of the street. The cabinet card measures 6 1/2 x 4 1/4", and is mounted on a light brown matte with a textured edge measuring 9 x 7". The contrast is medium to high and the focus is good. The sign for the Holbrooke is present but not easily read. The image is very fine, with some slight foxing noted above the horizon line. The matte shows wear along the edges, particularly the right upper and lower corners. No photographer is listed. "Holbrooke Hotel, Grass Valley California, c1890" is hand printed in pencil on the reverse. While the photograph clearly shows the hotel, the date is more difficult to verify. Stephen and Clara Smith were among the first investors in the boomtown known as Grass Valley. They built the Adams Express Office and the Golden Gate Saloon, which were destroyed, along with most of the town, by fire in 1855. The Smiths rebuilt the saloon as a one story fieldstone building with a brick facade, making it the oldest, continuously operated saloon west of the Mississippi River. In 1862 Charles Smith, a relative, built the current structure and named it the Exchange Hotel, in part for its proximity to the local Gold Exchange. In 1879 the hotel was purchased by Ellen and Daniel Holbrooke and was given its current name. They managed and operated the hotel until 1908.