Jackson County Historical Society

Archives & Research Library

Manuscripts: Diaries, Letters, & Journals

Among a vast collection of diaries, correspondence and unpublished research in the Society’s holdings are original materials that reflect the lives and activities of people who have lived and called Jackson County their home. The type and scope of these holdings is endless, and is currently accessed via. finding aids and an on-site card catalog.

Below is an image of the first page of one of the Society’s most recent donations from a family who came to Jackson County, Missouri, from Huntsville, Randolph County, Missouri . . . a Gold Rush letter from 1849 that the family kept all these years and donated to the Society. A complete transcription of the four page letter follows. The letter is available for research at the Society’s Archives.

the state of California

E M Cuningham

I will tell you somthing about our trvls [travels] to this place wee crost the missoury river nine miles above saint josph on the thir teenth of may 1849 and wee went out to the bluffs and camped now wee are amongst sickness and death every day with the colory [cholera] but ont he fiftenth wee struck out for our long journey across the plaines wee came by new fort carney [Kearney] on plat rvr wee had tolerable good road but some raine but many graves all along and a great many sick and dying it is a distressing time indeed wee traveled on up plat rivr to fourt laremy [Laramie] the roads are good but some sand and no wood except cottenwood and willow and some pine logs that have washed down the river wee forded the south forke of plat whitch was one mile wide and from one to three feed deep at fourt laremy the emigrants began to throw away or sell their waggons for whatever they could ~~would~~ get and double [undecipherable] wee went on acrss the black hillsa dn up north plat and feryed [ferried] it now wee have very sandy road and alcaly [alkali] water after crossing the road leaves the river and thair is scarcely any grass along heare [here] the next river is sweatwater it runes up in to the south pas [South Pass] this is a beautiful sight snowcped mountaines all aroun the country from hear to the California mountaines is moutaineous and not worth thanking god for the road is bad and the dust is from 5 to 15 inches deep thair is a great number of Curiosityes such as the sulphar steam boat and hot springs at the sink of humbolt river it is a hot sandy plaine the water was as salt as brine wee took

the sothern rout across the mountaines which was the best of the three routs but I thought it was the worst road that eie [either?] man or beast past over but wee got throo [through] safe and out of our too waggons wee got through with one waggon and sixteen head of cattle and most of our provisions wee landed here the last day of september and some of our men went down to the citty to try to find out where the best chance would be while the rest of us is working allittle [a little] and takeing care of our cattle but wee are now settled sixty miles north east of sacramento Citty and twelve miles east of sutters mill where the gold was first discovered and wee have got our cabbin bilt and our provision laid in for winter and are now working in the mines but have not maid more than five or six dollars per day three men that are working close by us washed out too hundred dollars one evening and wee only washed out twenty one but I believe that anybody can make a fortune in that place called California because thair is plenty of gold hear for every boddy but one this share [sure] you will have to work to get it some men have crossed the plaines this season and got hear the first of august have made their fortune and are now on their way home to their friends but here is not many that have sutch good luck I will now tell you somthing about prices of provisions and wages Common hands are worth

ten dollars per day and machanicks [mechanics] fifteen or twenty a good waggon from seventy to one hundred dollars a good yoke of cattle [sic.] the flour thirty dollars per barrel pickled poark the same picked [pickled] beef twelve dollars per barrel bacon seventy cts per pound fresh beef ~~the same~~ twenty five cts per pound bread forty cts shugar twenty cts coffey ten cts rice ten cts molasses one dollar fifty cts per gallon potatoes fifty cts onions the sam this is the price of articles at the city but at nearer town the things sell as high again because they have to pay from twelve to twenty five dollars per hundred I was mightely supprised to find California as I found it to be the peopl are the most respectable honest friendly people with som few exceptions and wee have preaching one mile and a half from here twice every sunday and friends all around but I advise none of my friends to come hear if you or any of yo come I wil advise you to start with a light four [undecipherable] horse waggon and just Enough of provisions to last you through and cattle hare [here] prove to be the best if you do come I would be glad to see yo as to Californiea I cannot tel mutch about it I have understood that it rains eight dayes every weak for three months in the year the rain has began to fall and the grass has come up and it looks like spring of the year J Cunningham E S Chapman and myself are working together and expect to stay together and if I have luck I expect to go home next winter by water wee have had tolerable good health and are all well and hope to god to find you all the same way and I want you all to rite to me if possible I send [undecipherable]

best respects and well wishes to yo and all of my friends and Connection and to the girles more especially

E M Cunningham

J C Jinkins [After?] Dec I want you to direc your letters to san fransisco this the fifteenth of Dec 1849

[The letter had been folded to make its own envelope; traces of red sealing wax are apparent. The letter was addressed as follows with two stamped postmarks, the first reading “Sacramento Cal. Nov 21,” and the second stamp a postal rate of “40” cents.]

J C Jinkins

Hunts ville Randolph

Misouria

[J. C. Jinkins was Joseph Cowan Jenkins, born on August 12, 1831 to Joseph and Polly (Cunningham) Jenkins. At the time of this transcription, the exact relationship of E. M. Cunningham was not known.]