cams_rjboylan_b012_f003_012_1

Stockton Cal April 10th 1852

D [Dear] Wife You will be some surprised at the caption
of this letter but you must consider that we gold digers [diggers]
are a sort of moveing [moving] planets. You Know I must give
you a detail of all my movements &c. Well I am on what
is termed by gold digers [diggers] (a dead wood) the true meaning
a report of some new rich placer most generally proves
a humbug -- My friend Major Jenkins has a brother and
brother in law [brother-in-law] in this vicinity who are acquainted with a
place on a stream called frisno [Fresno] about 125 miles from
here and about 30 from Mariposa which they think
is good and has never been worked but little. Seven men
who were out prospecting last fall found the place and
and have made it Known to their friends onely [only] and
through Major Jenkins and his brothers my friend Bowers
and myself in company with friend Jenkins and a select
party set out tomorrow to join some others now on the
ground. If we can do one quarter as well as the small
party done at that place last fall I shall be satisfied
it is not verry [very] high up in the mountains and but little
further from Sanfrancisco [San Francisco] than Natchez but will be over
250 miles from Natchez. Steamboats run to Stockton.
Mariposa is a large town being inland, 100 miles from
Stockton. If we do not succeed in finding a good place to
work we will go with Mr Zumwalt to a place he has
in view, but I have strong reason to think we will find
a good place to work and have water to work with