R. J. Boylan, Gold Rush Letters, 1850-1853

Frezno [Fresno] river June 5th 1852

Dr [Dear] Wife & children first I am well & enjoy in good health and Spirits -- last Sunday night James Bowen returned from Mariposa and brot [brought] me Six letters two from that woman, in the stone house dated March 3 & 14th informing me of the receipt of the two drafts &c, also two letters from D. Oatman [J. C. Oatman] informing me of his intention to come to California he wishes me to write what I think of the place. Well he will find California verry [very] different from what it was when he left here but I have not a doubt but he can do well here and accumulate a fortune in a few years. I am glad to hear that he and James and Benjamin Bowen are a coming.

I have been very much in hopes that James would come ever since I have been on Frezno [Fresno] river for I think he could have a chance to do a good business this fall here and his having the advantage of having friends here we will do all we can for them. We have quite a large claim to work out and I shall be in favour [favor] of their Joining us I wish they were here now. I have directed two letters to James one to Sanfrancisco [San Francisco] one to Marysville informing him where I am. If it is James full determination to come to Cal he had by far better come while I am here and if he can have patience and economy & industry and by holding on to the quartz interest he can in time do well.

I found it impossible for me to Keep up so many interest in the quartz veins so I dropped one for Dr Oatman [J. C. Oatman] but that will make but little differance [difference] for I hold now about five hundred feet and can buy more if thought advisable and br [Brother] Oatman [J. C. Oatman] can come in equal with James and me in your last letter you could not say which way they would come. I hope they have made up their minds to come by land. I would much rather cross the plains than come by water during the hot sickly season. The last Steamer lost 28. I have much confidence in Dr Oatman [J. C. Oatman] fiting out to come either way but I hope the next letter will inform me -- and I think they will find me immediately after their arrival a friend of mine has gone out to meet his family and friends on the plains he intends to go as far as Clover Valley on the Humbolt [Humboldt] and there Station himself and if he can hear any thing of James, or the Dr or Benjamin he will render to them any assittance [assistance] they may need and direct them to where they can find us -- We are working at digging our race we are making it deeper than first intended but it will be so much better. The better we can turn the water the more easily we can work the bed of the stream and our prospect is fair (we think so). A company of five men directly on a bar above us while dig[g]ing their race struck a lead and took out 80 oz. last week. Thirty five ounces in one day and they have been doing well for the last four weeks. Our bar has not paid much in diging [digging] the race but we think we will find

it big in the bed of the river The bar and bed are seldom both rich we will be in in the course of two weeks. We are making from two three dollars per day diging [digging] our race that pays expences [expenses] &c -- You say you do not think you can let the farm to good advantage -- never mind the land will still be there. I wish you to try to have a stack of hay sufficient to winter your stock if convenient if not convenient let it go and I will get it with gold when I return or sell the stock.

I hope you will have some person to stay with you and not think of staying alone and give yourself as little uneasiness about the farm and things out doors as possible one thing sure and certain as soon as the fall or winter rains drive me out of frezno [Fresno] I leave for home. I received a letter from the (hon H D Risley) and such a letter well he begins. Thus you "Robert in the land of gold and I. H. D Risley in the land of corn -- twenty years ago you over a dry Kettle I over a salt Kettle --" then about the road &c -- now I wish to have an interest in the road enough to exempt me from paying toll probably one share of $100 and then I wish you to buy if you can [if ?] the sales are opened for canal land -- the west half of the South west quarter of Section no. three Town Thirty four north of Range ten East contain Eighty acres being the lot lying on the East side of the road begining [beginning] at the first coner [corner] of Chapmans field extending half mile towards Jackson grove it was apprised [appraised] at $3.25/100 per acre I would give $4if that is sold I would then take the East half of the North East quarter of Section nine (9) Town 34, Range 10 E

containing 80 acres lying on the west side of the road Hill nearer home -- the big slough runing [running] through it I do not remember the aprizal [appraisal] but it was lower than the first lot on Sec Three and not as good land. I have always intended to own one of those lots for a meadow lot and I wish to have the advantage of a good road to and from, The Terms are one fourth down, six p. ct. [percent] interest in advance. I would not run in dibt [debt] for any thing [anything] but land you can find out whether the above lots are still vacant if so I wish you to secure one at the next sale. I would buy half or all of the lot being East half of South East quarter of section fifteen Town 34 North of Range 10 E being the lot lying ajoining [adjoining] our farm and Sawyers on the East Side -- belongin [belonging] to some non resident [non-resident].

I am not So public Spirited as to give much for a plank road but I should not like to own the road and if it does not follow the Section line by our house I would not give a farthing, there was some talk by Mr Sawyer of having a road on the North Side of our farm thence up the section line and then west by school house thence angeling [angling] through our timber lot down the grove and take up or vacate that part of the road from the lower end of the lane West by the Shultz house. Should an attempt be made I wish you to have thrown before the board a heavy bill for damages, but I am willing to give ground for the road providing it runs on the division line West through Section 16 or as near as the nature of the ground will admit. I stand for my own inter-est. if I owned town property in Joliet I should feel verry [very] anxious for all the rail and plank roads Possible or if I wished to sell our home but not so you probably had better take one share, $100 if you think best and try to secure a lot of land by the side of it

If James comes by Water I wish you to have good care taken of the mules for if they are gone I shall have to buy another pair I would much rather they would run than to be worked and abused overloaded that would only spoil them for me just let them run for not one man in twenty thinks a mule can be led out to water without being first Knocked down, they might do a great deal of work and cross the plains if James takes care to them. I rode a pair of three year old mules from Ilinois Illinois to California and traveled forty miles the last day. I expect the division fence between our farm and Sawyer is in a horrid condition so that it would not be prudent to have any Winter grain sown -- but never mind I will have a division fence when I get home -- but by all means Keep up a good fenc [fence] around the orcherd [orchard]. cost what it will you wrote about having rails made -- I have reserved quite a number of them for building. I fear they or some of them have been cut down try to have them saved -- and have no more timber cut than is actually needed it makes me nervous to think of having some merciless axsman [axeman] go in to my timber, I wish you to write to me regular direct to Mariposa, Cal -- for nothing gives me such a fever in anxiety as not to get letters from home and if there should hapen [happen] to be a letter or two at the close of our seperation [separation] that I should not get never mind. I have seen the time I would cheerfuly [cheerfully] have given ten dollars for onely [only] one I enclose four from you but if James comes I shall, do nothing but ask questions for one day.