Kate Golden     ( July 31, 1899 )

Kate Golden

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The following letter from Kate to Lizzie was not in an envelope.  The letter was written on lined paper that was 7-1/2" by 10".  Six pages (Three sheets -- front and back) Kate was 35 in 1899, Lizzie was 26 and Harold was almost 1 year old.

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                                                                              Granite Falls Washington 7-31-1899

 

Dear Sister, Brother & Harold

 

Well Lizzie I am here in Wash home sick & lonesome & no where to call my own but I must stay & be contented if I can   how are you & Harold & Will   how I would like to see him   have you got a hired girl yet   hope you have   Bertha is quite will now  she was sick when I first got here   tired out I think & lonesome.

 

Well Dear sister, I suppose you have seen the letter I wrote home last week so I wont rite about my trip   of course that was just a sketch   Words can not describe it to you   it was just fine Dear sister I will now tell you about the country & what I am doing & where I am and what I think of it  well I arrived at the shack that is what they call there houses here & they are shacks too    I wish you could see them.  Saturday about 4 O'clock when I go off of the train I thought my heart would break   When I seen what & where I was at   al is about 3 1/2 miles north of granite Falls   a place called Kennon   the road is just built purpose for hauling lumber & Lime out on to Hartford Junction   there is not any station or anything else there   when the conductor said here is the Place  I could not see a solitary thing   so Off I got & landed right on the railroad track   could not see a building or nothing else   so Pretty soon a man (rubbered) over the Bank above me and asked me if I wanted to get up there  I said if I (xxxx)   so he helped me up on the bank   I asked if Al Johnson cooked here & he said yes so he carried the telescope up to the shack & I went in   Oh Lizzie if you only could see where I had to stay   the Place is built out of split lumber   ruff boards for floors & the bed room & a bunk in it filled with hay & a blanket spread over it   you could craw out between the cracks   the men's shack is about 3 steps from the cook shack that is just bunks & dirt   I could not Eat or I could not sleep   Oh if you could see the Place   so I stayed there until last friday that the 28th then I went up to granite to the Foxe's & I am here yet Monday 31   Dennison is a King to granite Falls   I am at Marshells foxes   they are very nice foxes too   then Saturday Eve Past Port toogood came to see me   Pat & all came sunday and stayed all day   I and al went to Ports.  he has a fine ranch   he is rich  Oh he is sure   he has a good start   he has horses cows hens Pigs   a good Orchard house (sarn) all Kinds of fruit   he has a big henery full blooded kinds   he is all right too   he is rich rich

 

                                                                                                        Tuesday August the 1 - 1899

I am sewing in grant   I sewed today for the first time for a woman named Bess   I get $1.25 a day   Ms Fox takes care of Bertha   she is just as good as she can be   now you remember Carne fox don't you   she is a nice girl also they are well off to   don't you remember Ida   she lives next house to her mothers & old Boney Fox in the next house   I am going to try it   I see what I can do sewing this week   I wont go to the lime quarry   that is where al is   he likes to cook there & so he said he would stay there   he has a snap there   I could go to help him the next day after I got here but I would not stay if I had to walk back to dear old Michigan   I saw Mr. Robinson & that is what we would get   $70.00 a month & our board   I told him I would not work there so they are going to Keep al just the same   they give him $1.75 & his Board but like something Else there is trouble brewing over the lime Kill  al is afraid he will loose his job   will tell you in the next letter if there is but there is lots of work here for a man   I am right on the caskades mountains   can see snow on top of the mountains every day   I am near Pilchuck mountain   that is grand   I wish I could tell you all I have seen and the sights I see every day   the (senerys) is fine   there is (6 lencls) inside of 3 miles   well there is the greatest things I ever saw in my life   I have been all through them so has bertha   I would give 1/2 of my life if she was older so she could remember them

 

Just the other side of tunnel number one there is the greatest thing on earth   there is a rock just as high up as you can look straight up & on the other side of the railroad track I mean is the (stillagxxxxx) river   that river makes such a noise you can not hear   oh how the water runs   it is a freight   then up a little further between tunnel No 4 - 5 is another they call the dead man's slide   about 13 years ago when the railroad men was working there on the track the rock gave away and slid down & slid 7 men into the river & they were ground to pieces against the rocks   that was affle   there is some (fxxxxfull) Places out here   let our folks read this letter and you can read all of there letters   that will save me riting the same thing to them   I could rite a hole year & then not rite 1/2 of what I would like to rite   I got a letter from sadie monday morn   I never seen a letter I thought so much of   I expect another one soon from her   I will rite to them tomorrow Eve   also to mary   how is Pa and ma getting along   tell me all about them when you rite   I don't Expect a letter from you before fall   I hope you wont forget me & not to rite soon as you can   Dear Sister you don't Know how lonesome I am or you would rite at once.  (Every guls Pistn) B. sees on the wall she will say I (rene) Liz   I can not barley stand it and every old man is Bompa & Every woman with glasses is grandma   she is affle lonesome too   when I got sadies letter I cried all the rest of the day   When B seen me crying she cried too   that made me feel worse   well I guess I will bring my letter to a close for this time   hopping to hear from you soon   a long letter   I (xxx) am your lonely sister

 

Good by Good by                                                                                       Kate

 

             tell ma & pa I am well & remember me to all of will's folks   good by

             those are from Bertha to Dear little Harold  x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

             x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

             for will x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

             for yourself  x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

 

 

 

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