Creator
Louie [Strentzel Muir]
Recipient
[John Muir]
Transcription
Martinez, California
,August 22, 1893.
My Beloved Husband:
Your beautiful letters three from Norway came yesterday, while we were away among the green "redwoods" of Moraga Canyon, our only "summer jaunt" since the Erwins were here, and we enjoyed it exceedingly. There were but few trees over a foot through, for a lumber-mill years ago destroyed all the glorious trees that once had their home near this beautiful roadway to the sea; and the fierce fires that followed after only cleared the way, alas, for a distressingly thrifty growth of poison oak among the fresh hazel wands. 0, but it must have been fine there forty years ago ! We measured several charred rims of the old redwoods that were from twelve to sixteen feet in diameter! but those cruel argonauts never spared one for us to see. There are many young trees, however, that are beautiful, and in spite of the poison oak a great many camping parties have visited there this summer. You should have seen how delighted Helen and Wanda were: and today they are coaxing for another trip to the woods somewhere. Helen often says, "I am just determined to keep well and strong and grow all the time, so when my dear Papa comes home again he'll hot be afraid to take me with him to all the fine places."
Aunt Margaret seems to be pretty well again, and she did so enjoy your letters from Scotland, and the lovely Scottish flowers! How we all wish we could grow the beautiful heather-bells out here on our own California hills. All the little flowers and ferns you sent looked fresh and bright when we first opened your letters. You say that you have not heard from us since you left N.Y. This is strange, for we sent you 3 letters to Edinburgh. care David Douglass, before you wrote for us to address them to London. Your letters, from the postmarks, have all been from 10 to 16 days on their way to New York, between New York and Martinez only 5 days.
Two volumes of "Walter Scott's Diary" from David Douglass were duly received. William Keith has been giving to various reporters his views on Foreigh Art, but he has not explained the tremendous speed of his journey between California and Europe. I mean to write to Mrs. Keith in a day or two. My eyes gave me great misery for several weeks, but lately they are slowly improving.
A letter of 8 pages from Sister Sarah Galloway has just come. She staid 5 weeks nursing Annie Eastman, who was very slow in gaining strength. Sarah's new Grandson is a fine healthy baby. Grandma Muir has been remarkably well this summer, and Annie was as well as usual. The others [are] all well.
Affairs here at home are going on tolerably well. I suppose you have seen in the papers about the great depression all over this country, and the low prices for everything one wants to sell!
Grandma feels much better. Aunt Margaret and May have just been here. All well.
Faithfully yours
,Louie [Muir]
Location
Martinez, California
Date Original
1893 Aug 22
Source
Original letter dimensions: 17.5 x 23 cm.
Recommended Citation
Muir, Louie Strentzel, "Letter from Louie [Strentzel Muir] to [John Muir], 1893 Aug 22." (1893). John Muir Correspondence (PDFs). 981.
https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/981
Resource Identifier
muir07_1295-let.tif
File Identifier
Reel 07, Image 1295
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
3 pages
Keywords
Environmentalist, naturalist, travel, conservation, national parks, John Muir, Yosemite, California, history, correspondence, letters
