Creator
John Reid
Recipient
John Muir
Transcription
[1]
Spring Valley Ranch Collyer Kansas Feb 7"-1888
Dear Bro. John
Your letter came yesterday wishing to know how I stood. Sarah & I own 3 sections & one quarter sect of land the 3 sect is worth #8.00 per acre the quarter sect $10.00.$ there is against 2 sect R.R. about 3000 the school sect 1700.00 due in 18 year at 6 per cent. the quarter sect $500.00 this is consider a fair valuation while others land is held higher. there is about $2500.00 worth of improvements on the land such as 8 miles of fencing house barn & corral. Colts 185 head will be 3 years old next spring & summer except about 16 head is older $10,000.00 held by 2 banks which are friend of mine. My house is valued by a good many from $2000. to $2500.oo do not consider it wroth over $2000= there is a
01292
[drawing of man in chair with doll or child at his feet and mouse under chair]
2nd
[2]
Mortgage of $250.00 on it. I have about $500.00 worth of other property. that is all I have. The firm of Reid & Foster is held for the amt of about $4000.00 that is to be divided by 3 of us. when Sarah & I come to settle up there may not be much for me to pay as the improvements & what I have paid her may bal up.
If we should have fair crop in Kansas next year and will go to $10.00 per acre then as a good portion of the land held and 10.00 now with out any improvements. & some farms & one ranch of 4000 acres changed hands at $10- per acres by a Chicago firm for a horse ranch. what I would like is to keep about 50 or 60 head of the best mares & give a mortgage on 1/2 of the land & my house & the horses for a term of years, say about $5000 t0 6000.00 any one can see there would [blot] no risk to run as the land would be getting more valuable & the increase of the horses
01292
[in margin: Sarah suffer as she has no other way of getting any thing as regards the horse [illegible] & what I [illegible] thro this last year there is no [illegible] of saying anything about it. hoping this may find you all enjoying good health J[illegible] Reid]
at the same time. Harry is a man grown so there would be little expenses for me to pay as him & I could do nearly all that is required in the way of getting feed.
As regard Dans affair I expect he is pretty well in, I expect he used that Money building his new house, as he is living in style now. Real estate in Lincoln is on the dray & it is doubtful if he can raise the money for some time to come [state?] I do not know much about his affairs.
Walter encourages me about helping [stricken word] at the first but I guess he needs all his money for his own use. if he had it to spare he would do it quick. I help him when he was in trouble. If it is going to put you about to help Sarah & I do not do it as I will get through in some shape I would hate awfuly to let
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will give you a little idea how the [illegible] lays
4 wires & Red Cedar post all in good shape said to be the best little horse Ranch in the state of Kansas would like if you would buy a 1/2 int
Location
…Collyer, Kansas
Date Original
1888 Feb 7
Source
Original letter dimensions: 23 x 14 cm.
Recommended Citation
Reid, John, "Letter from John Reid to John Muir, 1888 Feb 7." (1888). John Muir Correspondence (PDFs). 1746.
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/1746
Resource Identifier
muir05_0968-let.tif
File Identifier
Reel 05, Image 0968
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
4 pages
Keywords
Environmentalist, naturalist, travel, conservation, national parks, John Muir, Yosemite, California, history, correspondence, letters
