Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1906-05-03
FROM BAKER CITY
Mrs. James Woicott Writes of the
West To Mrs. Frank Harlan.


West To Mrs Frank Harlan.
Baker City, Ore Apr. IL, 1906.
To my Dear Friends-We received your
welcome letter and Jim always enjoys
reading them. He knows he has had a
letter. We enjoyed every bit of it.
Weare having the finest kind of weather.
Just came from town, wore white waist,
the sun is hot enough to carry a parasol.
| must say this place begins to look good
to me. the mountains are green and COW
cred with pretty flowers. Yesterday took
a tramp where they are putting in the ir-
rlgating ditch, they had to travel through
a big mountain and it was quite sight to
see. We are beginning to get acquainted
now and have nothing to do but 60, and
there is lots for new corners to see. Jim
is feeling good and am well. and
when one has health it is everything. and
we will stay in the west until we see it all
Sunday the superintendent Of the road
Jim works for. Walter Hutchinson. Supt
Of the c. r. N. & Austin, and we, went to
the end Of the line which was sixty miles,
then we took the stage and went one mile
to hotel Austin, where a fine dinner had
been prepared. They had roast chicken.
fried chicken, trout and veal loaf, green
onions, radish and spinach and many other
good things to eat. The only thing that
was not quite right was there we're 8 at
the table, however, our train got back
safe and sound with the ! 3 on. Maybe
it will come out all o X. I'll never for
get that ride in the stage. 1t was over
the rocky road to Dublin the wheels went
in at some places to the top; we would all
pile out and get fresh start, but it was
fun.
Right across from the house is a trout
stream. Jim and we're so in love with
the place that we engaged board for a
week in June, one can't 60 nsxt month on
account Of the salmon flies, eating people
so they say. Jim is not going to work
as steady as he did in Belding as we are
only in the west once.
We went through some fine scenery
The little narrow guage is great noun
tain climber, can 90 where the large en-
gines can't get around; il we had not
come to the west over the Denver Rio
Grande where we saw so much, would say
Sunday we saw the finest scenery in my
travels. We went through Sumpter,
stayed there one-half hour and saw the
gold smelter, it is all pan dirt there, get
few nuggets. We also saw from a dis
tance the big Bonanza mine. Walter, Jim
and ! are going to take saddle horses and
go to the Elkhorn mine some Sunday,
start about four in the morning. it is Ia
miles from here The ladies here all ride
astrlde. One place we came through we
we're down in a valley, we could look up
the mountain and see the passenger train
ahead on the same track. it looked like a
toy train, then we stopped and all got out
to see the fossil rock; you could break it
easy and inside you could see prints Of
leaves and fish and other things. We all
brought home some souvenirs. maybe we
can save them and have collection to
bring back to Michigan so you can see
them, but think it will be quite while yet
as we are going to spend the winter in
Portland, Ore. We hear that is where Ed.
Belding and wife are now, they also went
TO Hood river not so far from here; that
IS where they grow strawberries as large
as hens eggs. Ella you say you folks are
all on the sick list, you better come west,
The mountain water so pure will make you
al well, and IL il don't good cup Of sage