Gold Rush Era Letters

I suppose C. Erlin is living comfortably in one of those new houses on Duke St.

I have forgotten to give you a discripton [description] of San Francisco & the country around it. This is in fact the most boring looking place I ever saw no trees to be seen as far as your eyes can camp hilly & sandy. The houses are all frame and made of canvas before going ashore at appear to be an encampment as greater part are of frame and muslin drawn tight above it. I do not know how they wile [will] do when the whet [wet] season setts [sets] in which wile [will] be in about two month[s] from this time. This tent houses rents from three to ten thousand dollars each. Ther [there] is one large frame house kept as a hotele [hotel] and gamblig [gambling] house. That rents for One hundred & fifty thousand dollars. They charge at this Hotel fifty dollars per week for boarding. Ther [there] at least ten thousand persons ashore at present many of which wish ther [their] salary at home. Every thing [Everything] is very high. Clothing of ale [all] kinds are low on account of the great amout [amount] brough [brought] her [here]. Hardware is also very low and. If I had come here with out [without] good[s] I think I could do very wele [well] as all kinds of wages are high and in great demand But I cannot loose ale [all] my good[s] so I wile [will] be obliged to take them to some town up the river and dispose of them to the very best advantaged.

Since writing the above I have concluded to take my goods up to Sacramento City some two hundred miles above. I have engage [engaged] passway at twelve dollars and find you can board & have to pay two dollars per hundred for plan goods. Maj. Slaughter S. K. Harmon S. Chist & I wile [will] go up on Wednesdy [Wednesday] next. H. B. Goud wile [will] remain here a few days and then come as as we did not get our goods out of the vessel.

I have but little faith in Gold diggin [digging] as I have seen some that have made a great deal of money and others that have lost ale [all] they have.

It is also very sickly and one has to expose them selves [themselves] so much that I am afraid to try it. But God only knows what I wile [will] have to do and endure before I return if ever.