Creator
David M. Galloway
Recipient
John Muir
Transcription
[4] if we could have made it out, I suppose you will have heard by this time of Maggie's little Jessie she is a fine stout baby, I had a note from Maggie lately she feels somewhat better and not quite so nervous as she has been for some time back, her girl of sixty left her in a few weeks taking with her two rolls of Maggie's butter and telling some one she had given her one for her Christmas & the other for her New year's and that [illegible] could work as well as her, so much for her. Father has bought a house and lot just outside of Portage he is building a stable and means to build a cistern and make things comfortable. I supose Anna says I must tell you that George has got the whooping cough and that she will soon get it You known James Whithead enlisted last fall his regiment went to Kentucky he was there only a short time when he was taken sick he lay in the hospital a long time hardly able to tell his wants you know how much there must be in such a place to make any one sick at heart even though he be in health, he grew tired of it got his discharge and started for home although they told him it was no use as he would certainly die on the road he said he did not want to be buried there anyway he started about noon the cars rode all that day and night all the next and arrived at Portage the next night, he was taken to the house of an accquaintance where he has been three or four weeks he got home on Friday I think 00320
[1] Fountain Lake 2 March 1863 Dear Brother John We received your long looked for letter about a month ago, also the catalogue sometime previous; unfolding your last John the first words that met my eye were "I am at home, contented and happy", well after all come to anylize my own mind this evening "I am at home, contented & happy we have had quite a snowy day, and if you could have peep'd in this afternoon you would have seen us, (all four) busy discussing a tin panful of pop corn, an hour or so later you might have heard us from the upper gate as if "Bedlam" were loose, and if you had not been scared to come near the house you might have seen me with one on each knee shaking down the pop, and singing and laugh -ing like all possessed ; John I have a good many such days this winter. moreover, what do you think? Sarah is learning to "trip it on the light fantastic toe", it would make you laugh John to see me with the poker for a bow, and left arm for a Fiddle imitating
[2] all the motions [hee hee?] Sarah is scolding me for telling you but you know John it is only when her feet is cold [he he hee he he he he?] Did you get the advertisement of that nice little Farm in the Town of Buffalo, well I have the Bills pretty well scattered over Marguetto Dodge and Columbia Counties, but I am afraid it will do no good as regards me selling, and yet there is a good demand now for real estate on account of the uncertainly of the currency. capitalists are investing largely in good land and those who sell out are ready with the money to buy a- -gain, I came across a number wanting to buy when I was out with my Bills, who said it was all very good on paper, but that I could not give a warranty deed. for the first wind would take the half of it over the line fence to my neigh- -bour, very well I said that was a great advantage for I got the half of my opposite neighboours, and we had always new land, it was as good as the approved system of rotation of crops. But joking aside I am making my arrangements for another crop at least and am very glad in the prospect of having you to help me in harvest. I need not now make any further arrangement, because I am
[3] willing to give you as much as is going; I shall not have much corn this year, but if I have not sold before I intend to break a few acres and you might get a little job at grubbing. but if not we will expect you to come here and "rusticate the inter- -vening time time till harvest, my winter wheat looks well yet and I expect now that it will live. I would like to come down to Roignette this summer as your Father took my Bills in that neighbourhood having business there anyway. it is a long time a- -head yet but I think we can arrange to meet there; Sarah will need all this room so I close by wishing you good health and happiness, and may you be so guided that when you are done with all your walks, and studies here, you may receive an abun- -dent entrance into that everlasting dwelling place where there is no more care and anxiety is the heartfelt wish of your fellow pilgrim David M. Galloway
Dear John you know I said as much as if we might be down to Madison this Winter but shortly after New Year the little ones were both taken sick with diphtheria it was a long time before they looked anything like themselves again, indeed if they had been well I doubt much
Location
Fountain Lake, [Wisc]
Date Original
1863 Mar 2
Source
Original letter dimensions: 21.5 x 27.0 cm
Recommended Citation
Galloway, David M., "Letter from David M. Galloway to John Muir, 1863 Mar 2" (1863). John Muir Correspondence (PDFs). 1128.
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/1128
Resource Identifier
muir01_0495-let.tif
File Identifier
Reel 01, Image 0495
Collection Identifier
Online finding aid for the microform version of the John Muir Correspondence http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt0w1031nc
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
Holt-Atherton Special Collections, University of the Pacific Library. Please contact this institution directly to obtain copies of the images or permission to publish or use them beyond educational purposes.
Pages
2 pages
Keywords
Environmentalist, naturalist, travel, conservation, national parks, John Muir, Yosemite, California, history, correspondence, letters
