Polk County Oregon Teritory March 5-1854
Der brother and sister
It is with that I take the presant opertunity of writing you a few lines
to let yo no that we are all well at presant and I hope that these few
lines may come safe to hand and find you all enjoying the saim blesing
I received your letter on monday last all thoe it was written in november
last and come in behind all the late news it gave me greate satisfaction
to know that I had one friend in Illinois that though anough of mee to write
mee a letter it is the first and only scrape of a pen I have had since I left
Illinois the you wrote to your father and the one to mee Come the saim
male I was very sory to heare of the inrodes the grim monster was making
amongst my old friends and neighbors and from the number of cases of
sicknefs at last counts I fear the news fom thare will bring tidings of more
deaths but be the coseqences what thei may I am very anxious to heare
from thare again next tusday brings another state male and I hope to get
some more news from Ills I have nothing of importance to write to you at
this time only I heard this morning that thare was a very rich gold mine
discoverd in about 30 miles of my place but as for the trouth of it I cannot
say neather am I excited a bout it atall before I go any further I will tell
you
why I skipt a page my paper is so mean that if I was to write on the oposit
side you could not readit the ink runs threw so bad I supose you want
to
no all about the conexion we have all seteld but Tom Hutchinson he is not
seteld yet and I can not tell he sometimes talks of one thing and sometimes
of another Georg Duese [Deweese] bought a Claim and paid six hundred dollars
for it
it is a very good prarie claim thare is no timber on it except a little fire
wood
and but little of that Ira bought a claim and paid 9 hundred dollars neerly
timber anough to suport it he does not like his place and is very homesick
your father bought a claim for 2,000 dollars and gave it to Isaac so he has
no claim yet Isaac Smith paid 2,000 for his claim and I supose tha have all
informd you how he liked the cuntry your father and mother both are
tolerably home sick tha was very well satisfied till the snow fell in january
and coverd up the grass so that thare stock could not get anough to eat
and evrything was so high tha could not aford to by all the necesarys tha
wanted in thare old agee and tha began to think how well tha was fixt in
Illinois and like the isrealites of old tha began to repent that tha had ever
left egipt wel I dont blame them for we have had a long gloomy winter the
hardest evry says that tha have ever seen in oregon and not being lookt
for made it set hard evrybody was propesying in the fall a mild open winter
as the last winter was so hard and the rain in september started the grass
so erly tha all said ominous of a faveable winter so if I noed the winters
in common would be as bad as the last I should be botherd to tell at this
time what I should think of it to I have tryed one of the hard winters now
want to try one the sumers and then and make somthing to liv on so that
I wont have evrything to by then I can tell more about the cuntry I must
draw to a close for want time I want you to write often give my love to
all the old neighbors and friend I want you to send mee the atlas pay for
it out of the old mans money and I will pay him the amount heare Eliza
and the children sends thar best respects to Eliz and Children so no more
at presant but remain your untill death
[to]John M Butler
Edward Ground
March the 5th, 1854
Dear Uncle
I take pleasure in occupying thise present opportunity of writing you a
few lines to inform you that we are all in tolerable health we have had
no sickness since we have been here except a little cold last winter I
have nothing very important to write. I will tell you something about
our place which my father forgot to tell you we have got 320 acres of
land situated on the Luckamute river about three miles from its mouth
where it emties into the willamete we live one mile and a half of E.D.
Butlers, one mile from uncle Ira's and about 7 miles from grandpaps
I will give you the prices of a few articles here American mares from
$2.00 to $2.50 all per head cows $75 to $100 per head pork 12 1/2
cts a pound chickens 50 cts a piece eggs 75 cts a dozen and $1 00 at
salem wheat is $2.00 per bushel Oats $1 00 per bushel etc Our nearest
neighbors name is Fulton but I guess he never invented the first steam boat.
I believe I have nothing more of importance to write give my respecs to
all enquiring friends.
[to] J.M. Butler
Wm. B. Ground
