Wiskey Diggins, Calafornia [California] Nov 18th 1852
Dear Brother, I owe you an apology for not writing
to you before this, but before I shall close this sheet
you will perhaps see the excuse I had for not writing
before. We are all of us in pretty good health and spirits.
I hope these lines may find you all in the enjoyment
of like blessings. I have received but one letter from
home since our arrival in Cala [California], and that one was
from my wife dated June 20 in which she stated that
you and James Baker had both written to me. I have
not seen them. If you would have me get letters
direct them to Marysville, Cala [California]. Since we arived [arrived] in
this place, we have done as well as we could expect to
do under the circumstances. We have had but very
little water until within a week past, and for a
week or more we have had nothing but rain & snow
day and night, we are encouraged to think that as
soon as the weather shall settle we can do better than
we have done. When there is a sufficient quantity of
water [,] the mines here are worked with sluices and
gold is taken out with them as safely and with greater
facility than with a [?]. I think before you get
this that Frank Goodbody will have arrived at home
and if you will spend an hour or two with him
you will get more information concerning the mines
in this place and the mode of working them than I
could give you in a whole sheet. Try it.
[p.2] I wrote a letter to my wife and sent by Frank Goodbody
which I expect she has got by this time and 10 oz.
of clean dust that I sent with it. Since that time we
have laid in our winter's stock of provisions which
consist of 700 lbs of flour $21 per hundred [lbs], [illegible] pork $31 per 100 [lbs.,]
½ bbl [barrel?] salmon 18$, 108 lbs sugar [$] 13*, 107 lbs ham [$]32*, 475 lbs potatoes
[$]6*, 106 [lbs] onions [$]12* [*a line above the numbers may be an abbreviation for
"per 100 lbs"], and other small articles to am[moun]t of 20-
hundred and fifty five pound[s]. I've paid $7 per [illegible] freight
on it from Marysville to this place on wagons, 85 miles
altogether. Our provisions and freight have cost
us five hundred dollars. We have good claims
that will pay even[?] from the top to the bed rock
from 2 to 3 cts [cents] to the bucket[.] others[,] perhaps[,] would
not work such ground, but would spend their
time and money in looking for something better[,]
but we are content to let well enough alone[.]
the diggins [diggings] here are new and not much prospected
and we have ground enough to keep us at work
for two or three years or longer if we should think
of staying here. It is impossible to say how long it will
take us to make our piles, But I think some of us
may[,] if we all have our health[,] be at home about this
time another year. I hope you will answer this
as soon as you get it and let me know all the little
particulars that you can gather from one end of the
Ridge to the other as they will be quite interesting
to us you know. Last week I was at Downieville [?]
on the north abo[ut] twenty eight miles from this place, and
I saw a man by the name of Graham that had been acquainted
[p.3] with Secret Glen Cave he called it and he told me it
had all been worked out this last season. I have
therefore given up all hopes of even seeing it as
long as I can get moderate wages where I am.
the only work I have done since I came to this
place has been with a cradle and the best earth
I have found was 32 buckets $10.50. A few days after
Frank left us I got a letter by Express mailed at
Sacramento City and directed to Geo[rge] Huntoon and
what to make of it I cannot say[.] I will copy it
entire below and let you see for yourself if
it was not enough to astonish anyone.
Sept.10 Dear Brother, I take this time to write a
few lines to you not knowing wheather [whether] you will
get it or not[.] I will not write much. I ar[r]ived here
August 29[.] I received a letter from home before I
left the States. Started for Calafornia [California] I am now
about 30 miles above Sacramento on South fork of
the American River about four miles above Mormon
Island to work at Macdonal [?] Company at six
dollars per day[.] The wages will be better in a few days.
If you get this letter, write to me[.] Direct your letter to
Sacramento, and I will get it from there by express.
I was to Dixon [?] Springs, and Hamblin George has gone home.
William Huntoon
to George Huntoon.
I sent an answer to the above letter as soon as
I got it, but have heard nothing from it since, and if
you can solve the mistery [mystery] for me please do it as soon*
