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'''Christen Ustrup Thiesen''' (first name sometimes given as '''Christian''') was a Pensacolian businessman best remembered for his ownership of the [[Thiesen Building]].
Christen Thiesen ended up in Pensacola thanks to a quirk of fate. Born in Denmark, Thiesen was the navigator of a Danish sailing ship. Thiesen He was stranded in Pensacola during the Pensacola [[yellow fever]] epidemic of [[1882]] when his ship left without him. According to a story passed down in the Thiesen family from generation to generation, Thiesen was the first sailor off the ship when it docked in Pensacola. He was informed of the epidemic, he told the crew, and they refused to let him back on board. At that time it was not generally known that yellow fever is not transmitted by person-to-person contact, but by mosquitoes.
Thiesen, who contracted yellow fever but recovered, found a job tending bar in a saloon. The saloon owner died in the epidemic. In 1884, Thiesen married the saloon owner's widow, Emilie Lemkuhl (or possibly Lehnkuhl), and thus became the owner of the saloon, located at the southwest corner of [[Intendencia Street|Intendencia]] and [[Baylen Street]]s.<ref>[http://www.flgenhistonline.com/counties/escambia/directories/1885directory/directpg3-1885.htm Webb's 1885/1886 Business Directory]</ref>.
