As published in The Pacific Pharmacist, 1910-1911
E.J. H. Nicholson, who has been in business in Tehachapi for 24 years, would like to sell his drug store and retire.
Fine city and good location for some young druggist, who could do a fine business. The store is located 150 feet from S.P. depot, does the prescription work for S.P. and Santa Fe; a five-room hospital is over the drug store, which is the only one in fifty miles.
Taking all this into consideration and the fact that Tehachapi is a summer resort, makes this an extraordinary fine opening.
Interested parties should address E.J.H. Nicholson, Tehachapi, Cal.
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This transcription keeps the original spelling and punctuation for the sake of accuracy, although more paragraph breaks may be added to aid readers. When errors of fact, or the spelling of names of people or places are known, they will be noted here, as appropriate. Paragraph breaks may have been added for the reader’s convenience.
Index notes: E.J. H. Nicholson
Editor’s Note: I found a little more information about E.J. H. Nicholson. From the information above, he was in Tehachapi since about 1887. In a registry of California pharmacists, he was No. 302. He was also a notary public. On Jan. 29, 1907, he married Annie Virginia Brooks at Tehachapi. Nicholson was not only Tehachapi’s first druggist, he was the town’s first newspaperman, having published The Summit Sun, a newspaper that predates The Tomahawk (and Tehachapi News). Below is a transcript of his obituary, published by a Bakersfield newspaper (still researching which one) in Feb. 1924. Nicholson was born in New York in 1845 and died in Bakersfield on Feb. 23, 1924, at age 78-79. Before marrying Annie Brooks he had married Clara E. Titsworth, who was born in 1848 in New York. She died on July 25, 1906, and is buried at Tehachapi Eastside Cemetery. He married Annie Brooks about six months later. Edward and Annie’s son, Edward J.H. Nicholson Jr., died at age three on Feb. 22, 1909, and is buried in Washington, D.C., with his mother who died on Jann. 15, 1913, at the age of 42.
Tehachapi’s First Newspaperman — Edward J. Nicholson Died in Bakersfield Saturday — Town’s First Druggist Buried Here
The owner of Tehachapi’s first newspaper and first druggist of that town passed away last Saturday when death claimed E.J. Nicholson at a Bakersfield hospital.
Nicholson was born at Canadez, N.Y., June 25, 1845. He was the first druggist in Tehachapi and started the first newspaper here. His pharmacy was located in the two story building on the north side of town. He owned the building renting the upper floor to the Masonic order for many years. His newspaper was called the “Summit Sun” a name he had copyrighted. This was in 1888. The paper ran for several years when the plant was sold to J.W. Jameson and Judge Wells who employed C.A. Seay as editor, calling their paper the “Tribune.”
Nicholson was a charter member of Tehachapi Lodge No. 313, F & A M, emitting here from Nebraska in 1892. He served as master of the local lodge at one time. Some time after his second marriage he moved to Washington D.C., transferring to St. Johns Lodge No. 11 of that city the latter part of 1912. After the death of his wife he returned to Tehachapi where he made his home until his death. Funeral rites were held at the Tehachapi cemetery, Tuesday afternoon by the Tehachapi Masonic lodge. He has a brother, Daniel Nicholson and a sister Mrs. Wolfe living in Allegheny County New York, also a daughter Mrs. Adaline N. Spencer of Los Angeles.
I found it particularly interesting that Tehachapi was considered a “resort area” in 1911.