1) In the first letter, the writer talks about the land in the area he is located in. He is writing to his wife and baby about how pretty the country is, updating them on his financial status, while also informing them how much land he wishes to acquire. He talks about being able to settle in the area around Turkey Creek. He also explains how safe the environment is by communicating to his family how he had the oppurtunity to nurse a 7 month old baby. He also expresses how deeply he misses his family by explaining how lonely he is in the vacant place. In the second letter, the writer focuses more on the job and occupation of the land he is in currently. He talks about how he is not employed yet, but hopes and expects to be by the coming winter. Again, he tells them how much he loves and misses them in the vacant land. The letters are about communicating or informing the reader how oppurtunistic, yet vacant the West still is. Directed at the wife, the writer expresses the amount of land and jobs he desires to acquire, but to also start a life and settle there for the future.
2) It stood out to me that the man did not travel with his entire family. I thought that the entire family would move and settle together, but from the way the letter is presented, it seems as if the man moves alone and is essentially reporting back to his wife the conditions and giving her feedback.
3) Letter writing in this era was very important for communicating with their family back home. Because of the harsh conditions and how hard it was to travel across, writing letters was the only way of communicating back to loved ones to tell them that they are doing well and healthy. Letters are also very personal, ranging from a unique handwriting to different tones of voice, which serves as closure to the reader and helps them be sure that they recieved the letter from their loved one. It meant a lot to a person recieving a letter during this time because it also helped the know that their husband or close one still cared for them and thought about them as they wrote the letter directy to them.
2nd Primary Source from The "Old West"
"Killed On The Road"
2) It stood out to me that the man did not travel with his entire family. I thought that the entire family would move and settle together, but from the way the letter is presented, it seems as if the man moves alone and is essentially reporting back to his wife the conditions and giving her feedback.
3) Letter writing in this era was very important for communicating with their family back home. Because of the harsh conditions and how hard it was to travel across, writing letters was the only way of communicating back to loved ones to tell them that they are doing well and healthy. Letters are also very personal, ranging from a unique handwriting to different tones of voice, which serves as closure to the reader and helps them be sure that they recieved the letter from their loved one. It meant a lot to a person recieving a letter during this time because it also helped the know that their husband or close one still cared for them and thought about them as they wrote the letter directy to them.
2nd Primary Source from The "Old West"
"Killed On The Road"
