Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1850-03-01
LITTER. FROM CALIFORNIA.

We are indebted to our friend and fcI ow c-
I n, Orson Brooks for the following letter, ro-
caiycd by him from brother now in the gold
gion
SACRAMENTO CITY, December %, 1919.
DEAR BROTHER In fulflment of my prom
Sc to write You from California, | hasten, at this
late hour to give you brief sketch of what con
der the most interesting to YOU. | doubt not
you expected to hear from me earlier, but altho'
/ have now b. IL in this valley for three months,
yet am green and III tact incapable of doing the
subject Justice.
lett the Mis- oun river on the 18th day OF
May and arrived in the valley of California and
mining region, on the 7th day of September, with
an OK team. Had extraordinary good luck all
the way; lost but one OK, which died had no
| break, and no det ntion; enjoyed good health,
with the exception say, of two weeks and the
only grai suif ring with the emigrants was the
dgS, and horrible stencil Of the dead cattle, &c.
by the road side. Our train got along very
smoothly, notwithstanding there was great sui
tering among the emigration and very many died,
and | will here remark, that will particularly
advise all and any OF my friends, who are deter
mined to 90 California NOT to cross The plains, for
it is beyond my capability to describe the insur-
m0uutabe difficulties and Obstacles Now in re-
e
IN r tgard to the gold and the amount of the same
vtrgCs nearer the truth than any of the reports
circulated in the states. The gold is here in
abundance but vet the story IS not hall told this
gold is hard to get Now understand, there is
no gold in the valley: it is all the mountains and
in the deep clnDlS, and the bas; dirrings is where
no wagon or pack animal can 90, and the best
calculation can make it will take half of all a
man can make to support him in the mines, and
through(h rainy season il is my honest opinion
tlnt the great mass here mining, will no more
than pay expenses this winter. The roads are
mpassable; the whole valley is nearly covered
with water; it is impossible to get 10 and from the
mines with provisions; and have known flour
to sell for $500 per Dbl 50 or 90 miles from this
city, ard those VINO drew and sold provisions in
the mines made more than the miners. There
is much sickness and distress and many deaths
in the mines. Thousands that have come here
expecting to return have and will die here.
Again say, there is plenty Of gold here, but i
! is lard to obtain Now in regard 10 the valley
/ of Gil ona for agricultural purposes. have
|,n'y av r limited and imperfect knowledge of
/ tie country a. vet, but have Travelled from this
city. % mil up the Sacram 2nto and Feather
rivers, a. d thus far, literally despise the coun-
try. q rally barren, no grass only in places,
ne cha &C Tor irrigation except now and then, all
per:Cc Y parched up in the dry season and in the
rainy season so soft ana mrey that il is impassa-
BE, and 70 say the most can in good conscience
il is only fit for the naked INDECENT Indian sava-
gos, wi o iaha5it this valley in abundance The
timber is oak. generally large, and branch off in
lruG, 10 5 feet OF the ground, which limbs grow
at right angles from the tree ana often descend
and rest on the ground twenty or thirty feet from
the ground.
/ A, to the city, iii one Of the seven wonders
of the world it contains from 10 to 5000 in
! habitants, and the great mass live in tents and
clo'! hOuS $; and the heavy south east winds and
rains often blow them down and cause much dis
tress, much sickness and many deaths. 1t costs
fortune here for u man TO be sick. 1t is COM
mon, daily &C ,urrence to see individuals begging
contributions 10 bury the dead.
Board is from 81 to $40 per week flour is
$40 per Dbl. pork, mess, from 30 to 500 per bbl.
Sugar, soc per b., moiasscs l 80 10 S2,00 per
gallon, fresh beef IS to 80 per h., dried apples
from 50 to roc per h., cheese soc, butter 81 80
&c, and o;h2r things in proportion potatoes so
10 10 per To-; onions : 90 per b. lumber 500
dollars per thousand, &c. The streets are strew-
ed with dead cattle hay is l2l per ID and no
grass although with one ana half miles from
Suffers Fort.
The rains commenced about the first of Nov.
and it has raincd, saw, three-fourths of the time
since Very little can be done mining, this win
ter. have done nothing for over three weeks;
have been sick, but am we'll again now, and will
60 to the mines as soon as the going will permit
and DO thohestl can until spring. have not vet
dug any gold Of any consequence, but have made,
say, $1,000 in buying and selling provisions.
| can advise you nor no other friend who IS
comfortably situated at home to come TO Califor-
ma 10 make fortune. and had known the true