William R. Olden

run, a great many of them can only be worked in the winter & spring from the want of water -–

After these surface diggings are done the regular mining will be carried on by companies – in the rivers veins in the solid Rock the size & thickness of the pieces of gold which have been dug, seem to indicate that these will be very rich the richest in the world.

The whole country reminds one of the Arabian tales at a word a new country has been populated large cities have grown up like magic filled with an active bustling people from all parts of the world most of them Yankees It is without exception the greatest country for making money that ever did exist – do not imagine from this that I have made mine – Whilst I was digging I did very well, I have dug in all about one thousand dollars – & if I had staid [stayed] steadily at it might have doubled or trebled [tripled] the am't [amount], but, I had to be a fool like every one else here, I have lost about half my time running about prospecting it is one of the diseases of the country all the miners have an attack of it – Tomorrow I with my partner (a Mr Miller of New Orleans) start with an Ox team loaded with articles for trade on the head waters of the Sacramento some new diggings have been discovered, that are very rich, we are going to dig & trade both one of us will keep the team going while the other attends to the trading & mining, very large

profits are made here in this way of trade it has been a much more certain mode of making money, than mining if we make an ordinary profit our load will pay us 1500$ a piece. I confidently expect to make something in the next two months – I will remit as soon as I can I invested what funds I had in our venture –

Miller & I are going down the Bay of San Francisco to go into a truck farm to raise vegetables for the market – anything of that kind brings an enormous price this business I expect will be permanent – as soon as I can fix things a little I shall send for you, & the little darlings & settle down at home once more. – The climate here is the finest I have ever seen, the air is clean dry. June the weather is always fine the grass on the plains is dried & parched up but the trees are as green & fresh as in the states – where ever there is any moisture at all, all kinds of vegetation is most luxuriant. I have not been in the cultivated portion but all accts [accounts] describe it as very fine. – No man can get along in this country unless he will work, – in some kind of business. Money is easily made – but cannot be got without exertion – which many men are too lazy to make – large numbers of two legged animals came out here who expected to pick up 50 or 100 thousand dollars in a few weeks are very glad to get enough to pay their way home. – Droves are of no use here,

I have read no letter from you since I left Panama our Post Office at San Francisco is full of unassorted letters the Government pays a high price to get the mail here but cannot afford to get it assorted after it gets here, – I read one letter from Lester announcing the death of poor dear Adie – I was never more shocked in my life – poor Mother four of her noble boys have gone before her, but while I live she will never want for one, we must all endeavor to supply his place – I would give worlds to be able to see you – but I work hard in the expectation of soon being settled with my family around me –

I saw William McIlvaine a day or so since he is going home in a month or six weeks – he has traveled all through the country & taken an immense number of sketches – Most of the Pittsb'grs [Pittsburghers] who crossed the plains are in – Budd Murray &c [etcetera] are here –

I have said nothing about my health but I have worked hard & am somewhat thin only weighing 180 lbs [pounds] I think that I may do better before long –

I must close as it is late in the even'g [evening] & I am tired Give me best love to Mother & the family. Tell them I consider California to be a great country & hope to see them all ons settled out here before long – I dont [don't] advise any one to come they might not like it, (but I do!) I will write regularly by the steamers after this both to Pittsbg [Pittsburgh] & Flushing – Good night yours truly

William –

San Francisco Jany [January] 13/50 [1850]

My Dear Sister

I have just returned from taking a stroll out to the entrance of the harbour, and enjoyed the green grass and finer ground excedingly [exceedingly] after wading all the week in this our excessively muddy city, for the past three weeks. I have been engaged in this business with my tall Irish friend who was my fellow passenger from new york New York to panama Panama. business is pretty dull at present which is not surprising considering that bad roads prevent any supplies being hauled to the mines, which of cours [course] presents purchases for that purchases for that purpose. in about a month or six weeks buisness [business] here will commense [commence] in good earnest and every thing will go it with a rush for the next ten months buisness [business] here is different from about any other place. There is nothing like stability of prices every thing is either scarce or in excess (last summer pork rose from $12 to $60 in two weeks) a cautious operator who watches the market closely can make a great deal

money, very little has been made by persons who have shipped goods here. Cargoes are general sold at auction in large lots and at low prices rather than incur the expence [expense] of Lightening & storage which are extremely heavy. Most of the money that had been made by men here in buisness [business] has been on goods bought here the proffits [profits] on wholesaling vary from vary from 10 to 100 per cent on retailing from 100. 400. this is rendered nessesary [necessary] by the excessively high rents. (a store one any of the principal streets 20 ft front by 30 deep one story will rent for $1000 per month payable in advance) Some of our hotels rent for 4 to 5,000 per month and pay well at that. These are strange things and this is a strange place in most respects it surpasses any thing that the world ever saw before. Gambling goes ahead of any thing that I ever saw before (and I have seem some) from the place where I now sit I can see 10 large Hills filled with tables for mente, faro, Roulette, Vington [Vingtetun], Rondo [Rondeau] &c [et cetera] with from a 2 to 5 thousand Bank on every table which are constantly surounded [surrounded] by eager betters from ten in the morning until ten at night (Some dont [don't] go home till morning) I have often seen them hard at is after I got up of course the gambling fraternity make large fortunes quite a number have gone home with from 20 to 50,000 made in two or three months