Manuscripts
Peter Frederick Hummel letter to "Dear Wife & Children,"
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John Henry Frederick Ahlert diary
Manuscripts
The diary covers the first trip Ahlert made to the Klondike. In it he describes his journey from Los Angeles to Dyea, including accounts of traveling conditions as well as descriptions of his surroundings. He also talks about the difficulties in mining gold as well as the frustration he experienced in registering claims along the rivers and creeks. In the last half of his diary, Ahlert describes Dawson and his life there.
mssHM 64258
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I. Brearley letter to "my dear wife,"
Manuscripts
Letter from I. Brearley to his wife in Fullerton, California, written shortly after Brearley's arrival in Denver, Colorado. He writes of his ill health, describes the scenery of Denver, and alludes to the uncertainty of his finances.
mssHM 73693
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Frederick G. Niles diaries
Manuscripts
In these four diaries, Niles details his life through a variety of jobs and journeys. Before his adventures west, Niles talks about his religious beliefs, his Sunday school teaching, his daily life and his aspirations for the future. As he heads West to the Kansas Territory, Niles describes the prospectors and emigrants he meets along the way. He discusses the Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians he sees, the Mexican cattle drivers, and the landscape he encounters in his travels. In April 1865, Niles writes about the assassination and funeral of Abraham Lincoln. Niles' diaries also include detailed budgets and personal financial information as he struggled to make money. In the diary that deals with his sea voyage home, Niles includes details about daily life on the ship and the places he visited along the way.
mssHM 70278-70281
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John Groom letter to "My dier Wife and Children,"
Manuscripts
This letter was written by John Groom to "My dier Wife and Children," on September 22, 1850 from Georgetown, California. In this letter to his family, Groom describes his difficult journey from the Missouri River to California. He opens the letter about the hardships of his journey, which includes contracting the flu and mountain fever. He passes numerous graves while crossing the plains, which disheartens him. In California, he states that the prospects of mining for gold "looks very Gloomy." According to Groom, the chances are very slim. "I am speaking now of the late emegrtion per haps 1 in 20 makes theire half ounce a day and 1 in 50 is doing what we all expect to do that is to do well by hard work and aconemy while 1 in a 1000 is makeing there fortunes..." He reveals the harsh reality of the California Gold Rush, "...I tell you now that the dark side of callafornia has been kept hid while the good side has been mutch Exagerated there is not 1 man in 100 but wishes himself at home of this years emegration and every man almost without exepttion that can Raise the money is a going and has gone already for my part I am here without the means to get home..." He also includes details about the costly supplies in California. He concludes the letter, "...be content to stay where you are doing well or not for God forbid that I ever should be the cause of any man coming to Calafornia to get Gold..."
mssHM 68184
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Frederick P. Kehrer letter to "Dear Friend,"
Manuscripts
A letter from Frederick P. Kehrer, a recent émigré to the newly established Washington State, written on Spokane Falls pictorial lettersheets. Kehrer wrote to his friend about how he was looking for work. He also relayed the news of the death of his brother-in-law, and described how he had befriended a man named "Dr. Warden." The pictorial lettersheets depict a bird's-eye view of the town, "Spokane Falls," and the like-named large waterfall on Spokane River. The town Spokane Falls would be reincorporated as "Spokane" one year after this letter, in 1891, shortly after the disastrous fire of August 4, 1889.
mssHM 82589
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W. Frederick Mayes diary
Manuscripts
This diary, kept by W. Frederick Mayes, begins on November 22, 1869 and continues to November 27, 1870. Mayes kept this diary while he was in Honduras building a railroad. He talks about the railroad, his fellow employees, the local people, the villages he comes to, the weather, the geography, etc. He specifically talks about Chamelecón, the Chamelecón River, and the villages of El Chapparo and El Espino, Honduras. Mayes drew several sketches in his diary. These sketches include scenery, villages and people.
mssHM 52253