1869 Salina Kansas Recent Immigrant Building Homesteads 4 Pg Letter Transcribed For Sale

Salina, Kansas
Nov 20th 1869
My dear Father and Mother. As I now settled in the new and flourishing state of Kansas and finding a leisure moment I thought I would impose to inform you of the change in our location and prospects. You will be surprised as I presume you have been entirely ignorant of the move. Marcius and myself came out in June last, created 160 acres, each joining farms as rich prairie bottom as the west affords, and well watered, situated nine miles from the flourishing town of Salina County seat of Saline County. The Kansas Pacific Railroad runs through Salina and will soon connect with the Union Pacific Railroad to California. We sold out in Wisconsin at a sacrifice of one thousand dollars but will soon make that up if God spares us health and strength. My family have enjoyed most excellent health since we came here on the 20th of August, the very worst time in year to come in the old settlers tell us, but by being temperate we have all escaped the chills, a common complaint with new commers. Marsh and myself are turning our hands to house building this winter as carpenters are scarce and settlers coming so fast that we cannot begin to build our neighbors houses fast enough and many more work engaged than we can perform in the next six months at $2.50 per day and board. Which is good wages considering the price of provisions. Wheat $1.00 per bushel, corn 40c, potatoes 50c, sweet potatoes 75c, can syrup 75c for a gallon, beef 3 to 4 dollars for hundred. Groceries about the same as with you. You can see from this that we can get along until we can raise a crop. We have got some breaking done for our early garden vegetables and shall break 20 or thirty acres apiece in the spring for corn. I will send you a paper which will show you Kansas as she is. Find Salina on the map, find Gypsum Creek and south east from Salina is where we are located. Evelyn is in Wisconsin teaching school will not come til next season. Salina is at Publisher's Marsh paid her a visit this summer and concluded to leave here there a while longer. New York friends are all alive. We hear from the regularly. Tell Thomas I should be pleased to hear from him. Please write soon as I am anxious to hear from you both. I had a very strange dream about Mother a few nights ago and wish to learn if she is alive and well.
P.S. don't fail to writeAddress R O EvansSalina, Kansas
Your affectionate Son,R.O. Evans
To Tho. G Evan ErfAusterlitz, Vent Co Mich

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