About the author of the letter and the location:
- JPN Snyder was sixteen years old when on April 30, 1849, as a member of the Sacramento Mining Company he departed from Iowa City, Iowa for the gold fields of California.
- Iowa City Bar was located on the Middle Fork of the Feather River, above Bidwell’s Bar. It appears to have been a name assigned to the location by the group of miners working in that area from Iowa.
Letter transcribed and generously provided by Linda Hess
To: Eliza (Williams) Snyder Iowa City Feather River Mines “Iowa City Bar”
From: JPW Snyder Feb 10, 1850
Dear Mother, Sisters and Friends,
I received your interesting letter date Sept 19 on the 8th of the present month. Should I make the attempt, I could not express to you the pleasure it gave my mind to receive such news from dear home. I am very sorry to hear of my sister’s sickness but am glad that it was no worse. I was very much afraid that the Cholera had visited your town and that some of you had fallen victims to that horrible disease. As I said in my last letter (if you have the good luck to get it) do not trouble yourself about me during my absence, I am getting along very well, we have everything that the country affords, the winter is very mild here and we have abundance of clothing to keep warm. We are now located for the season, and I hope for the remainder of my stay in California, on a very favorable and promising bar which is very rich where we can turn the river by digging a race, and daming. The race to be dug is about 100 yards and 3 feet deep and drain the bed of the river, which is very rich, about 200 yards. We have got our race partly finished and will be ready to go to work in the bed of the river as soon as the spring frist is down, that is the snow on the mountains is melted. The rainy season is about over. There are but a few showers expected and those soon for this season; we have also built a very comfortable “ranche” to live in. Should we have the good health and usual good luck of miners in California, we will be ready to return home in this coming fall. Our company consists of 16 members most of them from Iowa, but none but our mess from Iowa City (Hess, Owen, Ressler, and myself), the old Iowa City Company are scattered “to the four winds of the earth” the most of them I know not where, we left them at Salt Lake. Clemons, Miller and Pratt and I believe Chaffin, Hamilton and Hunbro(?) are some 10 or 15 miles farther up the river on a bar, their company consists of 20. Cattlett and Mr. Murray are 16 miles before us on a bar. Mack makes a very good miner, uses the pick very well. I saw all the boys I have written about some three weeks ago and they were all well and making money.
We got a few newspapers here in the mines to read. Late ones sell for $1.00 to $10.00 a piece. The latest news I have heard from the states is the explosion of those steamboats at New Orleans. We have heard of rumors of an expected war with England, of Panama being block aided by the English.
Provisions have remained very much the same as I wrote in my last, but some are getting cheaper. Flour is down to 50 cts. per pound, pork 80 cts. and other things still remain high. Boots and shoes are very high. Boots are $32. a pair and shoes $8.00 to $12.00.
We moved up to here on New Years, we had to pack our provisions 8 miles over some very rough mountains, it is very hard work, packing on the back, the Indians come very handy for packing. They will pack for a mere trifle, a little something to eat and they are satisfied. They are very handy at mining. They do not hunt for a living like the Indians in Iowa. Their principle food is roots and acorns, of the latter, they make a kind of bread. We have sold them several hundred dollars worth of venison since we have been up here, at $1.00 per pound for gold money or “alo haso” as they call it. I have learned to talk to them some, they mostly talk Spanish. I have called them Indians but they are a poor excuse for an Indian. They do not look like Indians, there is no bravery about them. They are called diggers and that is a very appropriate name. They do not live in large tribes; but in small bands in miserable dirt huts. This little town is called a “ranche”. There is two within two miles of us. Most settlers in the valley has a “ranche” of 2 diggers. On their ranche, they (the diggers) work for them as slaves, such as herding. The word ranch is applied to houses or land. Some of these diggers are very thievish and none of them are to be trusted out of sight.
I understand the California Fever is still raging in the states, as bad as ever, there are a great many coming by land and water. Wo! to those coming by land. I still have a recollection of some few places of it, indeed, I am afraid there will be a great scarcity of feed in many places, the grass was eaten off so close last season that I am afraid it will be killed out entirely. Now if there is any coming by land from Iowa City give them this peace of advice from me: If men of families coming with or without, tell them “to stay at home and let well enough alone”; If there are any that have no families that are bound to come, get good teams and load light. Bring just provisions enough to do you on the journey, and as few clothes as possible for you can get them as cheap here as you can in the states, bring no mining tools as they will not pay for transportation, 2 to 3 persons are a plenty to one wagon, start early. Be ready to start from Council Bluffs by the 10th of May and not later than the 15th. I believe that to be the most preferable starting point and small companies for traveling fast. Bring some of the cash, for you will need it. Keep the old route and don’t be lead off on new cut offs. Avoid Lassen’s cut off.
I enclosed you some February flowers of 3 different kinds. The small clusters with the green round leaf on the stem is called laurel. It is a very robust, the bark is red and smooth and so is the wood. I enclose you some of the seed of this shrub. Plant some as they are and soak some in hot water so that you may get them to grow. I will also bring some with me and a root if I can. There is still another bush which I wish to bring home with me. This long leaf looks like willow. I do not know whether this has much of a flower or not. The leaf has a beautiful smell and the bush would scent the whole garden. I am of the opinion that these shrubs will grow in Iowa, they grow in California where it is as cold as in Iowa. I saw these growing back on the road where I know it is as cold, as it was getting very cold while traveling there.
The mountains have been covered with snow all round us, there has been snow one to two feet within three miles, while down next to the river is quite warm. I have went in my shirt sleeves most of the winter while I expect you were sitting by a good fire to keep warm. The snow has mostly disappeared off the mountains. It is now time to make a garden, but there is rather a poor chance, for the want of a fertile spot, the soil here may produce pretty well, but I doubt it. We intend giving it a trial with the seeds we brought out with us.
Dear sister, you write that you would like to come to California, but I think you would like to get back as soon as possible. I have seen several females since I have been here and they all say that they would like to be back again, there is no society nor enjoyment for females here. I don’t think I am homesick for writing this, I don’t intend to leave California until I get what little gold there is deposited here for me if I have my health. Give love to Virginia and –Miller and little “santy”. Give my best respects to all my relatives and friends, tell the boys I would like to see them all. George sends his love to Mr. Stover’s folks, Owen to Mr. Newcomb’s and Ressler to his. So good by
Yours, JPW Snyder