John Cornock, Gold Rush Letters, 1850-1855

into the creek and double our teams to draw them up the opposite side. on the 21st we entered the nation of the pawnees [Pawnees] said to be the most savage tribe we have to encounter. on the 22d they a party of about fifty of them came at about day light and tried to drive off our animals they were fired on by the guard and the alarm given. a fight ensued in which we got one man killed ant [and] two more severely wounded we kitted thirteen of them besides wounding several. the next day we formed ourselves into a company and I was Elected Captain my company consists of 18 Waggons [wagons] forty men and seven women and children. on the 23rd we again crossed the big blue. on the 29th as we were resting at noon three Buffaloes came within two hundred yards of our waggons [wagons] but not close enough to get a shot at them but we mounted our horses and had a regular Buffalo hunt. we chased them about six miles when we suceeded [succeeded] in shooting one the meat of which was very sweet and tender. this day we also came to the little Blue river on the first of june [June] we came in sight of Platte river and camped about six miles above were we first struck it on the third we passed fort [Fort] Kearney and the next four or five days it rained continualy [continually] we were wet all the time and had soft beds to sleep on. I can assure you since then the cholera has been raging and men are dieing [dying] like sheep. I have passed the graves of six Eight and ten men in a day we have passed already upwards of seventy graves that I have got the names of that of course would be uninteresting to you the only New Yorkers grave I have seen is a man named Wheeler who was buried in one hole with another man out of thirty men there well men enough to bury them seperate [separate] and the next day three more died out of the same company and they had to call in help from another company to bury them and the man that came out for help looked like a ghost and could scarcely totter along he very affectedly said he thought they would all die and their wives and children would have to starve on the plains. we consider we are in the middle of the

Emmigration [emigration] and their [there] is more sickness behind than ahead so that I can form no Idea of the numbers of deaths you will probably read conjectured accounts on the newspapers from persons letter able to accertain [ascertain] than I am. we have buried five men and one woman out of our company one of the men has died this morning named Reid from Illinois but I believe there is no more sickness in the company I should like to tell you a great Deal more but time and space will not permit. I must close hopeing [hoping] that this will find you all in as good health as it leaves me there has been so much cholera here that I feel anxious to hear from home hopeing [hoping] to find you all alive and well. I shall not be able to Mail this short of Fort Larimie [Laramie] when if I can I will write a little more my love and respests [respects] to Father Mother Ann Henery and all my sisters also to all kind friends hopeing [hoping] the Single ones may have short Courtships speedy Marriages and the Married long and happy lives I must close now by saying I wish would write to me at Sacremento Sacramento City so that I can get your letter by the first of September I do it. What I shall go at when I get there so I may not stay in the city more than a day or two and if the letter is not there at that time I shall be much disappointed and make up my mind that this letter is miscarried. I shall write from there immediately uppon [upon] my arrival. Give me full account of the things going on in Albany for I have not heard from there since I left and I am certainly very anxious to hear from home

From Your Brother John Cornock Nebraska June 12th 1850

enough masons

Miss Mary Cornock 164 Orange street Albany NY

[Postmark: INDEPENDENCE Mo Oct 29]

American River California Dec 23 1850

Dear Sister

I now take my pen in hand to write a few lines hopeing [hoping] they will find you as they have me in good health I can make no excuse for being so Dillatory [Dilatory] in writing to you excepting that I have been expting [expecting] a letter from home but I have now given all hope of receiveing [receiving] one as I expecting the letters I sent From Fort Larrimie [Laramie] I sent a letter to Ann about 2 or three weeks ago which I hope she will receive it before you receive this. I must now give a discription [description] of the country as near as I can. I arrived in this country on the 8th of September in good health and spirsits [spirits]. I went to work on Weaver Creek and worked hard for three Shillings which is rather poor wages for this country. the next day we packed up and went to hunt for better diggins we went to the Village of Cold Spring [Cold Springs] and hired as a miner to a man who was mining on a large scale for which I received five dollars per day. I worked Eeighteen [Eighteen] days. I then went to Sacremento [Sacramento] city and tried get work at my trade in this I was unsucsesfull [unsuccessful] so, I returned to the mines to hunt diggins for myself. I went to Diamond Springs where I found pretty good dig– diggins but after digging a short time my money ran out, and there being no water and no prospects of rain I had to abandon the place to find a place that I could find gold enough for present purposes when I packed up

and came to this place and went to work for six dollars per day with which I saven [saving] money en ough [enough] to bye [buy] a share in a House and nearly provisions enough for Winter. With a prospect of making from six to eight dollars a day when we can work. do you see I am pretty Comfortably situated for the winter. I went to Cold Spring [Springs] about a week ago and polled my first vote and I cannot refrain from giving you a description of a California Election the poll was held in a Grog shop and galmbling [gambling] House. when I went in the door the man that took in the votes was showing a man a trick with a pack of cards across the Ballot Box. the trick Consisted of a certain card being picked out by some of the party which in this case was the King of diamonds. then some man shousd [should] hold them in a peculiar way and he would knock all the cards out of his hand but the one named at the time. he got every thing ready to perform the trick I entered to vote the cards were thrown down my vote taken my name regestered [registered] when the man picked up his pack of cards again and finished his trick about the same time the bell rung for dinner. when it was decided the poll should close for one hour a very interesting debate was got up as to what they should do with the ballot box. some thought it was best to lock it up in the back room but others thought it unconstitutional so it was decided the Box should remain where it was but a man should stay to watch it. the man was appointed who jumped upon the table and sat on the Ballot Box and called hastily for a glass of