Dawson City, Alaska, Jan. 10, 1898

Most beloved Darlings, Sister & Brothers

We have another opportunity to let you hear of us through a gentleman who is going out on the ice, as you must know that the official mail has not yet come in nor gone out, and whatever you receive from us is from some acquaintances who take them out. As I have really nothing very important to write about I will describe to you how we live here: our restaurant business is very dull now and we are not doing anything in the way of making any money: we moved into our own cabin, which we bought and I’ll describe to you how it looks. It is a log cabin 16 by 18; we fixed it up by making a little dining room, private hall, and kitchen and bedroom of it; the partitions consist of walls which I stitched on a machine, I had loaned to me; I have your pictures on the walls, and I’ll just let you know how one can live in the Yukon quite cozy in such a cabin and at the same time have some things in it too, such as for instance, we have about 1500 lb. of provisions in our private hall behind a drapery; we have over 500 lb. more in our bedroom and kitchen; two large tables and several benches, a bed, or excuse me a bunk, a large stove, innumerable pots, dishes, 200 lb. of beef, but this I have in a box outside of the cabin, a sewing machine and all our clothes and even two hammocks; I guess I have it all now, and yet we are quite comfortable, certainly without any fear of starving and you’ll perceive for the next year or so. We got up in the morning well about half past ten or later as the day begins here very late and it gets to be night about 4 P.M., but the days will grow longer from now on; the evenings here are the most beautiful sights such as you never see in the United States or rather not so far north; altogether the weather is grand and far superior to the East, as one don’t feel the cold as there are no winds; the snow is frozen on the ground all winter, and that makes the nights so bright; the moon is to be seen until almost midday, but the sun is barely beginning to show now; I have not seen it yet in Dawson. Papa said the other day, that if he could have all his beloved ones here he would not wish for an easier life, and I don’t blame him, as although we are not making any money yet, we live good and are content all the time, as now he does not have to carry water or chop wood any more, we have somebody who does that for us; he has no worry about money matters, and in fact we don’t do much more than eat, drink and sleep well; since the restaurant business bas fallen off. The only difference between us is that Papa has great hopes of making some money next spring, and I think that I’ll be glad to get home with the experience of the trip to Dawson.

I should like to write extra to Hut, Lena, and Toledano, but we can’t tax the gentleman with too many letters, so I should be very much pleased for you, Dear Gussie, to write for me to all the three, as I can’t tell when the government mail will go out, maybe not until March, and I should like them all to know about us. Oh! if we could only have some news of you, I should be quite happy to stay here as long as I must, but it is trying my endurance to its last limit to sit and wait day by day; it is already four months since we have heard of you last, so just imagine, if you can, my feelings, but I better not begin about it at all.

I must not forget to tell you that the lay that Sol. intended to buy fell through. I’ll finish remaining to each one of you, My Darlings, with undying love and affection,

Your,

Mother.

This letter arrived in Coudersport Feb. 28, 1898

Dawson City, Alaska, Jan. 21, 1898

Dearest and most beloved Folks

You will perceive by the way I word the heading of all the letters I have written that I write to and mean each one of you inclusive, as I could not very well write separately and that for various reasons. First of all is the difficulty of sending letters outside as no one is over anxious to take them, even though one would gladly pay well, and you cannot blame these men who go outside for refusing to be burdened with any unnecessary weight, for a few dollars, as a couple of dollars is not worth mentioning here to a man for any little service; or what’s more, that they would not take letters for any pay rather than they should have to carry a few pounds more than they actually must: for a man who goes out of here at this time has to pull a sled with provisions, stove, tent, blankets and clothing that he wears, from about thirty to forty days until he can hope to come to a place where he might be accommodated, so you will just imagine that every half lb. he might have (that he wouldn't think is necessary to sustain him) he will not overjoyfully carry; mind you, he must make between twenty and thirty miles every day besides, over mountains and rivers of ice, without taking off any extra time for much sleep; so you will see that we are very thankful to those who want to take a letter, and then we are not sure whether we don't throw it away as soon as he gets a chance. If we were to depend on or wait for the mail to go out through the letter-carrier, I think it is likely you would hear of us by next June or July, for as yet no mail came in or went out, but we are expecting it now soon, as it is already several months since the officials said that it was nearly here. Another reason for my condensing the letters is the scarcity of writing material here, and we have not any too much to be lavish with, we have a quarter of a very small bottle of ink, which as already been watered several times, and as for writing paper we could easily at a dollar a sheet, if we wanted to sell any, but we haven' t any to spare, and whatever they have not got here now, they cannot expect (in any quantity nor that it will be cheap) until the boats from St. Michaels come up and that will not be before June. yet another reason is that we lead such a lazy life here, that it is quite an exertion to sit down and write a lot of letters: as for instance, I will just picture to you the terrible hardships, that you dearest sister and brother were afraid we will endure here.

We eat and drink and sleep all the time and do nothing, as business, and in fact all the town, is practically at a stand still, and the miners and cheechawkers (new comers) being up the creeks working in the mines: Sol. plays a little cards occasionally and some evenings a couple of Jewish gentlemen, whom he got acquaint- ed with, come to the cabin and we spend many a pleasant hour conversing and telling jokes, as one of them is a little witty (you, Gussie would enjoy his company immensely), and having a little lunch at the same time reminds Sol. of mentioning the fact of your being afraid that we will starve here, and invariably he winds up something like this; “Poor Gussie, I suppose every time she sits down to her meals she thinks and probably says, Oh if Schuldy or Becci could only be here and have this or that nice piece of food or whatever it is, how glad I should be,” when maybe at that very time we might be having a very nice time, and enjoying a good and hearty meal: for having nothing else to do we exercise our jaw with mastication most of the time, and your poor starving Schuldy even eats when he isn't hungry, only so as to pass time.

I presume my sweet Darlings thought yesterday that Mamma would not even remember that it was her birthday, when in fact, I had, just for their remembrance quite a little spread. Those two gentlemen were here and we had a very pleasant evening, and we did not sneak a word about our dear ones at home, no not one. I was presented by them with a pin made of a. gold nugget Just as one of them had found it on his claim. This is the exact size and shape of it. As to our starving I even had Hapiane cakes (like sweet Nell says), on the table and although they were without eggs or almonds, they were very nice, for you must know that an egg only costs a dollar a piece and then it is too strongly perfumed for digestion, and almonds (I think such a thing does not exist in the Dawson vocabulary as I have not heard of such an article being mentioned as yet. Therefore you will perceive, dear folks, that our only hardships are being parted from you and not even having heard a word from home in very nearly five months; if it were not for that, it is a long time indeed since we had such an easy life and untroubled minds as we have here. The only thing that is not to our liking here is the thought that we may have come all that distance for nothing, but yet we are not giving up hope, as everybody encourages us and tells us that everybody must be here more than a year to be able to make what they call a stake, and we hope to do a little better in the spring, when business will pick up again; but no matter if we make any money or not, I shall, please God, come home next summer, and if Sol. sees that there is not much prospect for him to make something he will come also, if not he will stay yet another winter.

Feb. 1, l898

My pen broke and I have recourse to a pencil. You will notice it is over a week since this letter was started, but the gentleman who is taking it will leave tomorrow sure, so we have to finish up. Now the reason that I think we are not in a position to make any money is that we have no show of getting any kind of goods in here, and it is really taking one's life in your hands to undertake to go out on the ice for goods; we don't expect to do any business until May or June and by then, we won't have enough grub (provisions) left to rum a restaurant. We had made a new few hundred dollars in about two months, but we bought a lot of provisions, as you know we only brought a lot of provisions, as you know we only brought enough for ourselves, and for the balance we bought a claim, which costs $5,000.00; we will have to pay $4,000 of this by July 1.

We sent two men up to work the claim, but we have heard nothing as yet, and if might prove a success or a failure, as God will have it. If we are lucky it will be a good investment, otherwise we might have to write home for tickets to come home with. Naturally those claims which are already known to be very rich, we cannot reach, as they run up into the hundred thousands, so we had to take a chance to invest on a smaller scale; but yet our claim comes in on Bonanza, one of the richest creeks; the creek is called Victoria and comes in on 43 Bonanza, above discovery.

I have nothing more to write, as I think by this time you will know all the particulars. Most of those people who came in about the same time we did, either went back for goods or are working in the mines for wages, so at any rate we are not any less fortunate than they. Dear Kids:- I want you to write home for a Bible and you should read Hebrew every day, so that you don't forget It; and you, Dear Gus, kindly see that they don't. fool you about it, as I know that Lulu, for instance, will rather sing, that he lost his pants in the Houchee Couchee Dance, and Bert and Nell might find some other little excuse. I wonder how poor father is; he is constantly in my mind, more so than when I was at home. I will close with tender love to all my beloved Ones.

Yours devotedly,

Mama

(This is the exact size and shape of the nugget referred to on page 2).

[editor’s note: There was a drawing of the nugget off to the left of this parenthetical remark.]

This letter arrived in Coudersport March 14, 1898.

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