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Notice: all or parts of this letter appears in a copyrighted source (Emmanuels 2002) and it is presented here with his kind permission.
(Justin to Niles)
[Late August, 1859]
Kings River, Fresno County
Mr. Niles Esrey -Dear Brother
I avail myself of this present opportunity of addressing you a few lines, answering to a letter of yours that came to hand on the last of August. That was a short letter, but much consolation, as it was the only letter that I have had this summer. I write to you once a month but you don't write to me very often and the ballance of the boys don't write at all. I don't know why they don't write. I would like very well to have a letter from each one of you every month. Me and Jonathan are well. Daniel Rhoads was up here a few days ago. He and family are well. They say they have not heard from any of you this summer. You must tell the boys to write to them and me and Jonathan. I have not much news of interest to write to you. We are geting along tolerable well. Our stock is all in very fine order. We will be able to sell our beef cattle for about eight cents on foot at the rancho. By driving we can get garente. Money is scarce in California. I think of coming home in about two years or less. Our part of the country is filling up very fast with imegrants from Texas and the north part of the state. I like to see the country filling up with people but there is more cattle than the country will bear. Well, nearly everybody in the valleys is trying to raise cattle and hogs and horses. We never feed in this country, except our saddle horses in the winter season, and then only hay. We buy nearly everything that we eat except beef and wild game that we kill. There is many a grizly bear in this part of the country. They have killed many hogs and a few cattle the last month. One of our party killed a very fine cub last week. It was the fattest thing that I ever saw. They are dangerous to hunt. They sometimes kill persons, when wounded, if they can catch them.
I will write to you again in a few days and try to write a better letter. I want you to write once a month at least.
Write longer letters. You did not say whether or not Dock was coming to this country in the winter next, as he wrote.
Yours Respectfully,
Justin Esrey