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John French letters

Manuscripts

John French letters

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Description: This collection contains three letters from John French, who was working in California's Sierra Nevada during the post-gold rush period; they were written to his sister in Newtonbrook, near Toronto, Ontario, Canada. French describes mill work, social life around Sierra Nevada, mining, gender politics due to so few women in the vicinity, and interactions with Chinese workers and local Native American populations. The letters contain condescending and derogatory descriptions of Native Americans and Chinese individuals. The letter dated 1870 June 7 was written from Rock Creek. The letter dated 1872 May 26, written from Indian Springs, which is damaged and repaired, has an ink drawing of a man, labeled "Our photograph." The letter dated 1871 July 24, written from Indian Spring Mines, describes an earthquake.
Type: Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Production date: 1870-1871.
Call number: mssFrench
Creator: French, John (active 1870-1871)

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Provenance

Purchased from John Dann Rare Books, May 2025.

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Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

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The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining permission rests with the researcher.

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