Digging for Gold In Wyoming Territory in 1876

8 page letter describing Life in Wyoming Territory digging for Gold in 1876 at Red Canyon.

(As written without corrections.)

Red Canon Wt

February 6th, 1876 Dear Niece and nephiew Hoping this will find you and the Children well and that you will excuse my long silance I will attempt to tell you how I am getting along in the land of Gold and Indians. I will commence by giving you A sketch of my return trip after leaving you I spent A pleasant night at Jessies and on the following morning I left for Coxsackie Expecting to go to New york City but I received A letter from F. Watson from Oswego which called me to that place I expected to find an opening for business there and Stay East where I could visit my Friends ocasionaly but found on careful examination that all the East was about the same (Dead) and I left for the lively seans of the west I Stoped at Chicago and Called on my Cousins there and found uncle and Aunt had gone to visit Mother had I ever known they wer coming I would have staid to see mother and unkle together well I left them and came to this place an have been here ever since and have made more than I would make east in a year, but still I am not hapy coming home has made me want to come and live near my Friends and though money is slow to be made the enjoyment of society of sivilization and kind friends more than compensates for the loss of what money I would gain by staying here. what is money if we cant enjoy it. I will stay here i think till next winter and then I will come home and stay. This is A fine country and will be well settled in course of time there is now A large Emagration to dig gold some are successful and make A great deal of money but many get out of luck loose all they have and are the most micerable men in the world there is no society only A loose Set of women and a ruff set of men drinking and card playing (in fact all sorts of gambling) is going on day and night. I do not say all men here are bad but a large percent are which is the case generaly where money is plenty. there will be a large emogration (as I said before) in the spring and I intend to mak money out of the (as all spend money) and then if nothing hapens I will return. I will all so prospect some and if I make a good strik I will sell for g0od price and make for home very soon after, and I guess Ed will come to if we can fix it so we can get out of the country with a good little pile we will never come west agen. I look back to the few days I Spent with you and all with Pleasure and hope to find you on A good Farm Enjoying your Selves fine when I next see you give my _____ to all Enquiring Friends tell Rhubecky I remember Her kindly tell Her I am well if you See Her and all the rest of the Folks P.S. Carie you and Mall have been last every time with me but not least as the Size of this letter will Show I love all my Friends as near alike as I can and I asure you I Enjoy your little Home Highly. Letter Continued Edsel DeFrate Now Mall I am going for you I have got through with Carie for this time unless She should acidentaly Slip in Edgewise in the course of my Scribling I expect you have lots of time this winter to sit by the fire and toast your shins and Scrape on that Old Fiddle but you needent think I am not posted or have A tellograph line out here and get all the news of the day I hope you will learn fast I Should like to come and hear you you have caught no eels lately I Suppose how is Louie this winter has he recovered his health next time I come to see you I will Come in winter and we will have A jolly good time you bet A good Sleigh ride wouldent get bad now give my respects to John and Louis when you see them tell them not to get the western fever, but let well alone we will have A lively Camp this spring and I expect to make A good strik and then come Home get A little Girl to Darn my socks and settle down for the rest of my life Excuse this for this time from your unkle Edcel DeFrate I find I have Plenty of room and so I will continue to scribble you will remember that i got A Clay Pipe of you just before I left it was old and very black I fetched it with me out here and had it A long time intending to keep it till next Centenial but one day I was out huntin with A man by the name of Keysor (the Keysor that wonted to buy A Dog) and I loaned that Centinenial Pipe to him and he lost it there is pleanty of Dear out here and we have some very fine Hunts but we have to look out for the Red Skins at the same time. I was A going to send Rhubecky Landenburg A little Indian but they are all on the war Path though I have seen A number I couldent Catch them for Her but the Soldiers have got them pretty well licked General Crook thinks they will not stand another Campaign I hope they are licked for then we can go where we please and it will be easier to settle the country we have to travail now well armed or we are liable to loose our Hair I hope you will get on a good Farm Mall and that you and (here She comes in again and I cant help it) Carie will do well and live A long and Hapy life Hattie. Cattie, Jessie, Carrie and yourself have my kind love wishes and ___. Direct Edsel DeFrate Red Canon via Fort Laramie WT