Creator
Elmer E. Gilmore
Recipient
John Muir
Preview
Transcription
Lennox, S. Dak. February 8,1910Mr. John Muir,Martinez, California.Dear Sir:It has been so long since I recieved your kind, and welcome letter, nearly a year ago that I am almost ashamed to write, but office duties have crowded in so thick and fast that I have had but little time to attend to personal correspondence, but as I have a little time at present I shall answer yours first of all.Unless you are of a sensitive nature, like myself, you little realize the thrill of pleasure it gave me to hear, and know for a certainty that I had at last discovered the whereabouts of my old school-teacher whose peculiar scientific experiments left such a deep impression on our young minds that, I at least, have never been able to erase them even if I would; for instance, your weekly lectures on philosophy, your experiments with mice placed in jars containing hydrogen and nitrogen gases; your firing corks out of a funnel shaped receptacle which pleased Wesley Stevens so well that he wanted to keep you at it all night; your clock constructed out of a common water-pail; your other clock made out of wooden wheels hung on a burr-oak bush shaped in the shape of a scythe which hung on the wall of the old log school-house, and last but not least the clock which took the whole of the old black-board to serve it as a pendulum which hung in the back part of the school-house on the evening of the close of school; these and many other impressions come crowding into my mind whenever I think of that winter.Father died in the spring of 1888 and often spoke of the arguments which you and he used to have over the subject of perpetual motion. Do you remember about it?With regard to the scholars who attended the school that winter, I can furnish you but little information I am afraid, as we moved away from there to Iowa a short time afterwards and, while we kept track of a feww of them for a while, still there was so many changes going on that we finally lost track of them all, except our immediate relatives•My oldest sister is now living in Wadena, Minn., is married and her husband is County Treasurer of that county, of course she was(Over)04699
Location
Leenox, S. Dak
Date Original
1910 Feb 8
Source
Original letter dimensions: 21.5 x 18.5 cm.
Resource Identifier
muir19_0139-let.tif
File Identifier
Reel 19, Image 0139
Copyright Status
Copyright status unknown
Copyright Statement
Some letters written to John Muir may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Owning Institution
University of the Pacific Library Holt-Atherton Special Collections. Please contact this institution directly to obtain copies of the images or permission to publish or use them beyond educational purposes.
Page Number
Page 1
Keywords
John Muir, correspondence, letters, author, writing, naturalist, California, correspondent, mail, message, post, exchange of letters, missive, notes, epistle
