Manuscripts
J.F. Stacy letter to J.A. Stacy
Image not available
You might also be interested in
Image not available
Benjamin J. Edson letter to Josiah [Edson]
Manuscripts
Letter from Benjamin J. Edson in Genoa, Nevada, to Josiah (probably his brother Josiah Edson) regarding mining claims in Nevada. Edson writes of a letter he sent to Robert Moir, and of Josiah asks that "I would like to hear from you...as to prospects, even although a longer delay might be necessary to perfect any project that might be thought of."
mssHM 16527
Image not available
John D. Crawford letter to Medorem Crawford
Manuscripts
In this letter to his brother, John Crawford writes that he has just finished building a house for himself ten miles outside Georgetown, California. In addition, he has also built a public house at the head of Otter Creek, and hopes that it will do good business. Despite the varying success of mining in recent times, he considers his prospects for the next year to be looking well, and after that time, he hopes to settle somewhere in the west or south.
mssHM 16378
Image not available
John Augustus Sutter letter to Edward M. Kern
Manuscripts
Sutter writes that his stay in Sacramento was longer than anticipated, upon his receiving two separate subpoenas to appear in the United States District Court in San Francisco. The remainder of the letter is concerned with mutual acquaintances.
mssHM 20663
Image not available
Max Farrand letter to Hill Hastings
Manuscripts
In this letter, Max Farrand asks Hill Hastings if he is planning on going to the June outing of the Sunset Club. He writes that since he believes that Hastings' son is to graduate from the Thacher School in Ojai, that they are both scheduled to be there on Friday afternoon, June 14. Farrand had promised Sherman Thacher that he would stay over that Friday evening, but he thinks he can get out of it. If Hastings was planning to go to the Sunset Club outing that weekend, he wondered if they could work out a combination so Farrand would not have to deal with the unfamiliar California traffic.
mssHM 52270
Image not available
Thomas Milliken letter to William Todd
Manuscripts
Letter from Thomas Milliken in San Francisco to William Todd in Cherryfield, Maine. Milliken writes shortly after his initial arrival in San Francisco and records his first impressions of the city. He notes the high cost of laborers, the possibility of selling his steamboat for $35,000, and his plans to "break up the company" and become a blacksmith. He concludes that while San Francisco holds many opportunities for profit, "if I could make a fortune here in one year I hardly know that I would stay in such a Sodom as this."
mssHM 75049
Image not available
George Bruce Upton letters to his father
Manuscripts
This is a series of nine letters written by George Bruce Upton, Junior, to his father, describing his journey to California and his experiences therein. The first two letters, HM 24681 and 24684, were written in February and April, 1852, while the younger Upton was en route to California aboard the ship "Great Britain." By the next letter (HM 24683, dated April-May, 1852), the ship has landed at San Francisco. HM 24684 (written May 31) sees George Junior in San Francisco, attempting to order goods for the opening of a store. In the next letter, (HM 24685, dated June 15), he travels to gold mines out of curiosity, and to check on an acquaintance, whom had gone there to search for gold. Putnam, the would-be miner, was found not doing well. George Junior likes what he has seen of San Francisco, though he is not enamored with its government. HM 24686, written in San Francisco on November 15, tells of a fire in Sacramento that, according to Junior, will "enhance the value of almost every description of merchandise" in San Francisco. The rest of the letter is concerned with the shipping and prices of goods, and details of the purchasing of a boat and insurance. The next letter in the series is dated January 15, 1854. George Junior is living in a shared house in San Francisco, and he writes "the city has improved wonderfully." The following letter was written May 31, 1854 (HM 24688) and contains George Junior's description of his visit to gold mines, and his own successful attempts at panning and digging. He also mentions quartz mining as a potential and relatively untapped source of revenue. In his opinion, he considers "the idea of the mines giving out, in the usual acceptance of the expression, as highly improbable." The final letter in this series is HM 24689, alleged to have been written in San Francisco in 1854, as only the final eight pages of the twelve-page letter remain. George Junior reports that "the mining population has diminished greatly," and that the market for goods has also fallen. He worries about the long-term prospects of San Francisco, despite its rapid growth during his stay there.
mssHM 24681-24689