Newberry Library - DeWitt, Elizabeth Anna Rich (half-sister), to Isaac Stevens Metcalf, Isaac Stevens Metcalf family papers, 1842-1851

DeWitt, Elizabeth Anna Rich (half-sister), to Isaac Stevens Metcalf, Isaac Stevens Metcalf family papers, 1842-1851

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Open book DeWitt, Elizabeth Anna Rich (half-sister), to Isaac Stevens Metcalf, Isaac Stevens Metcalf family papers, 1842-1851

Title DeWitt, Elizabeth Anna Rich (half-sister), to Isaac Stevens Metcalf, Isaac Stevens Metcalf family papers, 1842-1851

Creator Metcalf, Isaac Stevens, 1822-1898

Date 1842-1851

Place United States

Subjects Bowdoin College, Brothers and sisters, DuQuoin Coal Company, Illinois Central Railroad Company

Format Business records, Correspondence, Diaries, Genealogies, Invoices, Manuscripts, Personal narratives, Records

User-Contributed Transcription and because the early passage of the lakes is both rough and dangerous. The expense I do not know but think it does not exceed about twenty dollars. The railroad across Michigan is not finished quite to 'St. Jo's' - about twenty five miles of the worse travelling by stage that ever was - like a quag-mire I should judge from descriptions: From "St Jo's' a boat would bring you across the lake to Chicago, Southport, Racine, Milwaukie or Sheboyagan as desired. boats stop at all these places on the western shore. Chicago has suffered from a freshet recently. The great quantity of snow made the streams very high and the city, - in no port above five feet higher than the lake, - has been covered with with water through not of much depth. The ice dammed up the small river that empties in there, a vessel was loosed from anchorage, went with such force as to capsize another vessel, and some lives were lost. I am told that in an port of Chicago, three feet below the surface, water is found; below the water, is a solid bed of clay: in some places holes are found without any bottom - not a very pleasant place of residence methinks, but a great centre for business. A party of about twenty started 1st March for California by land with several teams drawn by oxen and cows, conveniences for camping and cooking, and a year's provisions for each. They are to join other parties at Independence on the borders of Indian Ter. then proceed under the guidance of Kit Carson - the Indian woman who was guide to Fremont in his expedition through California & Oregon. A man from the country back reported here, that he met this company when 30 or 40 miles on their journey, that one man was weeping, heartily repenting the undertaking: a sorry time they must have, travelling through the wilderness through the rainy muddy spring.

Transcription Status Needs review

Transcription Note This document was transcribed by volunteers as part of the Newberry Transcribe crowdsourcing initiative.

Archival Collection Title Isaac Stevens Metcalf papers, Midwest Manuscript Collection

Link to Catalog View finding aid | View record

Call Number Midwest MS Metcalf Box 1 Folder 15

BibID 821787

Rights Status No Copyright - United States

Contributing Institution Newberry Library

Newberry Open Access Policy The Newberry makes its collections available for any lawful purpose, commercial or non-commercial, without licensing or permission fees to the library, subject to these terms and conditions.

IIIF Resource Type Canvas

Size 3172px × 3939px 71.53 MB

Filename 998217878805867_mms_metcalf_box_01_fl_15_002_002.tif

Unique Identifier NL11FDNT

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