In 1842, Solomon Jacob Spiegelberg, the oldest of ten siblings, left his parents' home in Germany and arrived in Santa Fe on an ox train by way of the Santa Fe Trail. For a while, he worked for a merchant until he was able to save up enough cash and credit to open his own wholesale merchant business (selling groceries and dry goods). This was located across from the Palace of Governors. Following the Doniphan Campaign to Chihuahua (1846-1847), Solomon became the Sutler (merchant trader of food and dry goods) to the U.S. Army at Fort Marcy. In the following years, five of his brothers joined him and his business; Levi (1848), Elias (1850), Emanuel (1853), Lehman (1854), and Willi (the youngest in 1861). During 1852, the territorial legislature needed money to pay its salaries, so Solomon lent them $4000 ( which was repaid the following year). The brothers expanded their business by trading with Native Americans; first with the Navajos at Fort Defiance in Arizona, and then with the Navajos and Apaches at Fort Wingate in Gallop, New Mexico. The Spiegelberg Brothers revolutionized the retail business practices of the time by offering to sell their goods for cash or credit without folks feeling they were being cheated. They even issued their own scrips. Soon afterwards they further expanded into mining (buying into the Montezuma Copper mine). By 1880, Willi had become a probate judge and in 1895 was appointed territorial governor by President Cleveland. The Spiegelberg Brothers were major funders for the construction of the St. Francis Cathedral on the Plaza. In honor of their financial support, the Hebrew letters for "God" ("Yahweh") were made part of the keystone over the main entrance of the Cathedral. In addition, within the Catherdral, a Star of David was added to a small medallion above the third column on the left (it is hard to see).
As major contributors to the construction of the St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral, the Spiegelberg Brothers' support was honored by having the Hebrew letters for "God" engraved in the keystone above the main entrance doors.
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