Auction Date:2009 Jun 24 @ 10:00 (UTC-04:00 : AST/EDT)
Location:6270 Este Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio, 45232, United States
3pp, 23 June 1862, including descriptions of stagecoach travel conditions and Mormon activity in Salt Lake City. Letterhead of Office of the Washoe Gold and Silver Mining Company, No.1. From Ransom Dean to Mrs. Celestia Arnold, South Adams, MA.
After his arrival at Gold Hill, he tells Mrs. Arnold: If I were to give you a description of my adventures from beginning to the close, you would not believe it, for the reason that you think I have always lived an easy life and could not stand "to rough it," but you do not know what a man can undergo if he is only obliged to.
We left St. Joe, Monday, June 2nd, with pleasing prospects of an easy and quick trip, but Alas!, our hopes were soon crushed. We had a man and his wife as passengers to Ft. Laramie. If ever I pitied a woman, it was then. Imagine if you can, four in a short coach undertaking to sleep. It is entirely out of the question. Our corns would come in contact with somebody's heel, or perhaps the coach would give a lurch and we would find ourselves in the middle. Then to cap the climax, 2 more men took seats at Fort Kearney and remained two nights.
And things did not improve: At Julesburg we rested 24 hours, of course put on clean linen. It was mighty lucky I did, for did not have my clothes off again for 12 days, a long time for a civilized person, but there was no help for it.
At a place called Greene River we had to strip a portion of our clothes and ford the stream about 12 miles. It was almost lightning. The men that kept the station were regular mountaineers and according to appearances concluded not to eat any supper, therefore at the proper time laid the blanket down double right upon the ground and crawled in between using a bag of something “pretty hard” for a pillow. Slept finely considering every thing. The next morning sit down to breakfast, tin plates, tin cups to drink coffee, one butcher knife, one fork, one iron spoon. Fat bacon, with out any lean, worm hard bread, the poorest kind of molasses and sugar and pretty black coffee without any cream. That was all with the exception of being allowed the unquestionable liberty of paying "6 bits" or .75 cts. That day we made 8 miles, slept in a lumber wagon box, next day made 4 miles slept in a tent on the ground. I have seen the time since when I would have been glad to have found as good a breakfast as the one I described and I had to pay $1.00 for it too. "'Twas almost Hell." Do not show this to Father he might think I was getting wayward. Well I have a reason for it. It was not much fun to ride through Buffalo gnats and mosquitoes and not have any thing to eat.
We arrived in Salt Lake City Tuesday afternoon 4pm. It is a right pretty town, and Brigham reigns supreme. The Mormons are a quiet, soberly and industrious people, in fact the most so of any body of people I ever saw; there are no loafers. If I had no desire to travel around the country, but content myself in one place....I should join the Mormons. A Mormon lady kept the hotel where we remained over two days. I thought considerable of her as a woman, her husband is a gentile, the telegraphic operator. I was quite unwell there, in fact had to come Aunt Hopy’s trot pretty often, but am all right now,... At the end he has a request: Celestia, will you & Etta sit for a melainotype and send it first mail; send a good one.
Definitely not a vacation! The grade school history books tell us about the rigors of the pioneers in their Conestoga wagons, but what about "civilized" stagecoach travel? This should dispel any notion that it was luxury accommodations.
The Thomas Minckler Collection of Western Americana
Condition: Expected folds, minor separations along same. Otherwise excellent.
Auction Location:
6270 Este Ave., Cincinnati, Ohio, 45232, United States
Previewing Details:
Tuesday, June 23, 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday, June 24 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Taxes:
| Tax | Rate | Desc. |
| Ohio |
5.5% |
Ohio State Tax |
Buyer's Premiums:
| From (Incl.) | To (Excl.) | Premium |
| 0.00 |
Infinite |
17.5% |
Additional Fees:
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