Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1873-02-10
GREELEY, COLORADO, January 10, 1873.

GREELEY, COLORADO, January 10, 1873.
My DEAR HERsEY:-Though far removed
In time and space and placed midst different
scenes and engaged in different occupations
ir1m yourself, allow me here to say that you
ara not forgotten by me. cannot now remem-
ber that we ever met after that eventful morn
ing in Second street, Wilmington, when We ex-
changed remarks of regret aud sympathy over
our own and the nations loss In the martyrdom
of the lamented Lincoln. Often had thought
of sending you letter from far Colorado, and
as often dismissed the Idea as impractlcable,
becauseI was uncertain of your address. How
ever recent letter from an old aunt Of mine,
shack there" has removed that difficulty
And now having little leisure | propose to
give you some account of myself my present
location, business, &c.
Myself and family and an old uncle of mine
came hither In quest of bet or health and
found home along with the members of Un-
ion Colony in the summer Of 1870. With the
plan ofthis colony you are probably familiar.
1t consisted, practically, of each member pay
ing given sum Of money into a common
fund for the purchase of land somewhere In
Colorado for the location of COLONY.
This land was divided into plots, after a
given plan and assigned to the several mem.
bers as they arrived. My selection and pres
ent location Is In section one, township Strange
90, county of Yields, Colo, one mile west of
were full of hardships and discouragement to
the most ofus. Three dry summers In success
sion had completely parched up the last yestigs
OF verdure in this otherwise dry "desert."
Plain, river and valley wore alike tawny
hue, while the plain was thickly studded over
with cactus, called prickly pear. Without
houses to live In, and, indeed, for time with
out lumber to build them oil without lrrlgat-
Ing bitches, and ignorant Of the methods Of ir-
rigation after we did have them, with all the
necossaries of life scarce and doubly dear and
all Of us strangers, doubtful and afraid OF each
other, the winds of the second winter, one OF
the severest ever known. howled In unison with
| the wild gaunt wolf OF the plains around u.s.
| Worst of all after the snow, a cubit deep, had
| lain for more than sixty days, ut laid for more
thanlI00 days,) with the mercury frozen up in
the THERMOMETERS, railroads ehOked and block
AIDED with snow, a fuel famine seized The town
and colony as well as the sparse settlements
| along the streams. CONSERVATION for time
joined with the terrible cold, almost destroyed
our best energies.
Cut offas we were from the outside wotlS
and succor from that source, II 1t had not beer
for the discovery of bed of coal within few
miles of our town site, doubt whether Their
would be any Greeley or Union Colony here to
day. Ice half an inch thick, formed night afte
night In my new well 10 feet deep, curbed ant
closely covered, goes to show how intense wa
the cold.
When look back and think how Ill prepare
We all were to encounter the fierce frosts an
SHOWS of such winter, ii makes me shuddel
Yet 10 the midst of all these Arctic terrors W
managed to maintain a certain hvelnes, Q
feeling superinduced think by the superic