cams_jcornock_b2990_f013_001_01

Camp Seco Calaveras County Feb 4th/55 [1855]

Dear Sister

I take another opportunity of letting
you know I am still in the land of the liveing [living] and in
good health as is also the rest of my Family although I
paid the Doctor a visit yesterday to have a tooth
drawn that troubled me much.

Times in California are very bad the Winter [winter] has been
very dry and the miners cannot get the money out of
the ground but in regard to the weather it has been
one of the finest Winters [winters] I ever saw. We have seen ice but
once here this Winter [winter] and we have had no more rain
than you have in July or August. it has been in
Fact an Itallian [Italian] Winter [winter]. This very day in cooking our
dinner we had to put the fire out of doors for
we could not stand the heat of it and little Mary has
been able to run about the hills bareheaded every
day this winter except one or two but the weather being
so fine has made thousands hungry. I have seen many
strong able men willing to work hungry and asking
for something to eat but We [we] can live about as cheap
here as you can at home for times is as hard With [with] the
storekeeper as with the miners and they have to sell
for small profits. Flour retails at three dollars and
a half for a fifty pound sack potatoes three cts. [cents] per
pound which is about $1.80 per bushel beef steak