Post by Cliff Krainik on Jan 1, 2003 21:47:34 GMT -5
A NEW YEARS DAY PRESENT TO THE MEMBERS OF THE OLD LEAD REGION HISTORICAL SOCIETY
The following is a transcription of a letter sent by Galena merchant E. B. Kimball to a friend back in upstate New York. The newly arrived Kimball writes enthusiastically and optimistically of the commercial future of Galena and of the Lead Region in general. He is obviously awed by the natural beauty of the Prairie, which is saying a lot considering he came from the breathtaking wonders of the St. Lawrence Valley.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Letter - double folded sheet
(7 1/2 by 9 1/2" - unlined, cream color paper, with red ink)
Addressed to - Jas. M. Smith Esq., / Gouverneur [1] / St. Lawrence County, New York
From - E. B. Kimball, Galena / 4 April, 1834
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Galena, Ills. Apr. 4, 1834
Mr. Jas. M. Smith,
Dear Sir,
Agreeably to promise I write you though I have not been a resident of the Sucker State (as Illinois is called) long enough to give you a very correct history of it -
I find this town & what parts of the country I have seen full equal to my expectations & I believe that the country is not overrated by travelers as is generally supposed. I have taken several rides out on the Prairies which are delightful; we generally ride horseback here, both Gentlemen and Ladies, though there is nothing to obstruct the passage of carriages in any direction we choose to go. At a distance this Prairie resembles an old improved country, the little clusters of trees which occur occasionally giving it the appearance of orchards.
This town is situated six miles from the Mississippi river on a small stream called Fever River which is navigable for Steam Boats. Most all Boats passing up & down the Mississippi call here & most of them go no farther up than this, leaving their cargoes & return with Lead - we often have nine or ten arrivals a day. I believe there is not a better country place in the U States for merchandising thus far. There are some houses that do business to the amt of 150 thousand pr annum.
The Lead Mine makes business of every kind, very good farming in particular, this is a ready market for anything the farmer can raise at a price a third higher than the New York Market, more than nine tenths of the produce that is consumed in the mining district has to be transported over 500 miles from down the river.
I traveled all the way by Steam Boat from Pittsburg & had a very pleasant passage - distance by way of the Rivers near 1800 miles making the whole journey about 2200 do. I expect to go into a Merchantile [sic] house here until I become somewhat acquainted with the inhabitants & their manner of doing business & then commence for myself. [2] Please to remember me to all my Governeur friends, write often & excuse this desultory epistle & perhaps I may give you a better account of the Far West some other time. -
Yours in Haste Respy & Truly
E. B. Kimball
J. M. Smith
_________________________________________________________________________________________
[1] The town of Gouverneur is located in the northernmost part of New York State. It is situated just a few short miles from the St. Lawrence Valley, the Thousand Islands, and the northern Adirondack Mountains. Gouverneur is named for American statesman Gouverneur Morris, who penned the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution.
[2] "The man lived up to his promise in the letter ... He did indeed get into the mercantile business here in Galena. He was apparently involved throughout the late 1830s. He appears in the 1840 Federal census as EZEKIEL B. KIMBALL" Letter dated 23 April 1999 from H. Scott Wolfe, Galena Public Library
The original letter is held in the Wisconsin Territorial Collection of Cliff and Michele Krainik,
Warrenton, Virginia
![]()
images.andale.com/f2/116/104/7566189/1041473500120_LETTERgalena.jpg [/img]
The Lead Mine makes business of every kind, very good farming in particular, this is a ready market for anything the farmer can raise at a price a third higher than the New York Market, more than nine tenths of the produce that is consumed in the mining district has to be transported over 500 miles from down the river.
The following is a transcription of a letter sent by Galena merchant E. B. Kimball to a friend back in upstate New York. The newly arrived Kimball writes enthusiastically and optimistically of the commercial future of Galena and of the Lead Region in general. He is obviously awed by the natural beauty of the Prairie, which is saying a lot considering he came from the breathtaking wonders of the St. Lawrence Valley.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Letter - double folded sheet
(7 1/2 by 9 1/2" - unlined, cream color paper, with red ink)
Addressed to - Jas. M. Smith Esq., / Gouverneur [1] / St. Lawrence County, New York
From - E. B. Kimball, Galena / 4 April, 1834
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Galena, Ills. Apr. 4, 1834
Mr. Jas. M. Smith,
Dear Sir,
Agreeably to promise I write you though I have not been a resident of the Sucker State (as Illinois is called) long enough to give you a very correct history of it -
I find this town & what parts of the country I have seen full equal to my expectations & I believe that the country is not overrated by travelers as is generally supposed. I have taken several rides out on the Prairies which are delightful; we generally ride horseback here, both Gentlemen and Ladies, though there is nothing to obstruct the passage of carriages in any direction we choose to go. At a distance this Prairie resembles an old improved country, the little clusters of trees which occur occasionally giving it the appearance of orchards.
This town is situated six miles from the Mississippi river on a small stream called Fever River which is navigable for Steam Boats. Most all Boats passing up & down the Mississippi call here & most of them go no farther up than this, leaving their cargoes & return with Lead - we often have nine or ten arrivals a day. I believe there is not a better country place in the U States for merchandising thus far. There are some houses that do business to the amt of 150 thousand pr annum.
The Lead Mine makes business of every kind, very good farming in particular, this is a ready market for anything the farmer can raise at a price a third higher than the New York Market, more than nine tenths of the produce that is consumed in the mining district has to be transported over 500 miles from down the river.
I traveled all the way by Steam Boat from Pittsburg & had a very pleasant passage - distance by way of the Rivers near 1800 miles making the whole journey about 2200 do. I expect to go into a Merchantile [sic] house here until I become somewhat acquainted with the inhabitants & their manner of doing business & then commence for myself. [2] Please to remember me to all my Governeur friends, write often & excuse this desultory epistle & perhaps I may give you a better account of the Far West some other time. -
Yours in Haste Respy & Truly
E. B. Kimball
J. M. Smith
_________________________________________________________________________________________
[1] The town of Gouverneur is located in the northernmost part of New York State. It is situated just a few short miles from the St. Lawrence Valley, the Thousand Islands, and the northern Adirondack Mountains. Gouverneur is named for American statesman Gouverneur Morris, who penned the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution.
[2] "The man lived up to his promise in the letter ... He did indeed get into the mercantile business here in Galena. He was apparently involved throughout the late 1830s. He appears in the 1840 Federal census as EZEKIEL B. KIMBALL" Letter dated 23 April 1999 from H. Scott Wolfe, Galena Public Library
The original letter is held in the Wisconsin Territorial Collection of Cliff and Michele Krainik,
Warrenton, Virginia
The Lead Mine makes business of every kind, very good farming in particular, this is a ready market for anything the farmer can raise at a price a third higher than the New York Market, more than nine tenths of the produce that is consumed in the mining district has to be transported over 500 miles from down the river.
