Creator

Louie [Strentzel] Muir

Recipient

[John Muir]

Transcription

[4]

4 letters by the Tiernan so one has been lost. 3 came by the Thos. Pope. Mr. Rixford sent me 25 copies each of the Bulletin for June 20 & July 13, containing your letters. I have sent them to your mother and Sisters Sarah, Joanna, Mary and Margaret and several others. I have sent to mother everything concerning you and the expedition. Saturday, a letter came from sister Anna. Mother had not heard from you since your farewell letter and I hope they will receive letters from you by the Dora, for their hearts are sorely troubled. I try to cheer and comfort them all I can. Your mother and sisters have all been good to me and baby I wrote to them Friday night

01022

[1]

1881 Sunday, July 24, 1888.

O my beloved, my husband,

So many precious messages have come to me at last from the far North-land, that my heart goes singing all the day, and I am thankful, almost as if I had looked upon your face – may, not even “almost” when I think what it would be to see you now, this moment, — but yet I can be joyful for a little while, until there comes again the thought of icebergs so terrible and pitiless in power; and the moan and howl of cruel Arctic winds — Father in Heaven be merciful and lead safely my beloved through the frozen wilderness, and out from the shadow of Death— I must not think; for the sake of the little child

[Page 2]

[2]

Thou hast given to my care, help me to be patient and trustful, to abide in the light. I will not doubt any longer. God and his angels have held us in their care these many years. I will pray to them, and keep the faith that they will not now forsake us. O John, do not for a moment follow the Captain against your own real impression and judgment. From the first, I have been comforted by your unwavering faith; and so long as all seems good and righteous to you, dear, I know that not any thing of evil can overcome you. Captain Millard and his wife came to see us, day before yesterday and we all feel very grateful, both to them and to you for their coming. It made the Arctic

[3]

world seem nearer and less terrible while we talked with a man who had lived there for a season, and escaped through storm and wreck. He will leave for the Arctic next week, and he kindly offered to carry anything we could send to you. Monday, 8 o’clock. Have just heard that Captain Millard may possibly sail tomorrow morning, so I must send this letter to him, this morning on the 11 o’clock Arizona train! Last night I received your two Oonalaska letters, sent per stmr. Dora, arrived in San Fran. Saturday night. In these only you wrote of the money to be paid to Mrs. Hooper. I will send it to her tomorrow. There was $285. of the Scribner money. Mr. Upham brought me $100. I received only

[Page 3]

[5]

all about Capt. Millard’s account of you, and of Arctic life. Poor Sam. Williams has gone from the sight of the friends who loved him so dearly. Our little Wanda grows sweeter and fairer and more lovable every day, and our hearts rejoice over her continually I will write more to send tomorrow morning as probably Capt. M. will not leave till Tuesday. Our love and our prayers are with you always,

Louis Muir.

01022

Location

[Martinez, Calif]

Date Original

1881 Jul 24

Source

Original letter dimensions: 20.5 x 25.5 cm.

Resource Identifier

muir04_0673-md-1.pdf

File Identifier

Reel 04, Image 0672

Collection Identifier

Online finding aid for the microform version of the John Muir Correspondence http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt0w1031nc

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

3 pages

Keywords

Environmentalist, naturalist, travel, conservation, national parks, John Muir, Yosemite, California, history, correspondence, letters

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