mixes hot red peppers in everything. There were dishes of corn, rice, and beans, and she cooked pieces of chicken and served them with a spicy sauce. Clayton and I drank several glasses of water with this meal, but Clayton said he would like to have more of the hot peppers. Mr. Peerson promised to send over some seeds. There was fine china on the table, and the floors are all wooden and covered with Mexican rugs.
After dinner, Clayton and the men played cards. Another couple was visiting from one of the mining towns, touring the area. The lady wanted me to play cribbage with her and smoke. She was dressed in bright red and blue taffeta, a fancy dress with a bustle. She had a loud voice and seemed to find everything quite funny, such a disappointment, as she is the sole female I have met since leaving the camps.
Clayton says we will have money enough to purchase water rights by next month. He has filed a petition with the water commissioner, and we are waiting for their reply. Meanwhile, Amy and I are digging more ditches. She has taught George Michael how to feed the chickens, and he spends much of his day trying to chase after them. We will plant a small crop and hope to keep it watered this year!
Your Loving Sister,
Abigail
August 4, 1872
Dear Maggie,
At the last minute the water commissioner raised the price we were to pay for water rights, and we were unable to purchase them. But we did manage to use a few of the ditches, pumping rain water we collected and what we could carry. There was more rain than usual in July, and so we have a harvest of sorts.
Each evening I put the children to bed just before sunset and join Clayton in the field. We pull corn cobs from their stalks or yank bean plants from the ground until dark. The sun sets in the mountains to the west of us, streaking the sky with every shade of red and pink, turning the mountains a deep purple. The only sounds are the rustling of the corn or beans and the low hum of insects. Sometimes it seems the world has stopped. Then Clayton calls to me and says we should go to bed so that we can start again at sunrise.
The beans and corn and potatoes will last us much of the winter. There are also tomatoes, grapes, cucumbers, and squash. Amy goes out to the garden near the house just after she wakes, sits on the dirt, and eats whatever she can reach.
Dr. Mayfield returned recently from a town in northern New Mexico, where he is thinking about setting up his practice. He said it is a growing town with plenty of people, but he is in love with this valley, the river and the mountains. Yesterday evening he came by with a string of fish he had caught, which were most delicious. Clayton says this is the place for him even if the mines did fail. He and Dr. Mayfield have planned a hunting trip next weekend if the rest of our crops are in. There are all kinds of antelopes, fox, deer, wild sheep, and rabbits in the mountains. You must come for a long visit, and soon, now that our ranch is beginning to prosper!
Your Sister,
Abigail
September 19, 1872
Dearest Maggie,
Last week Clayton left with a wagon load of goods for the mines some miles north of here. He has been offered employment there and will most likely stay on an additional month to earn the wage they are paying out, which is good. Mr. John Deering, who has taken a piece of land about ten miles from here, rode out with Clayton to get work. Clayton has assured me he will send word once he arrives. If the work is good and he intends to stay the winter, I will join him with the children next month.
Mr. Deeringâs wife is anxious to go and see the camps, for she imagines they will be more exciting than living on a farm in the desert. I have tried to describe the type of excitement that fills the camps, but she persists in her curiosity about them. If her husband would let her, I believe she would leave their house and move into a tent tomorrow. She is friendly, if a little naive. She does not believe a lady
After dinner, Clayton and the men played cards. Another couple was visiting from one of the mining towns, touring the area. The lady wanted me to play cribbage with her and smoke. She was dressed in bright red and blue taffeta, a fancy dress with a bustle. She had a loud voice and seemed to find everything quite funny, such a disappointment, as she is the sole female I have met since leaving the camps.
Clayton says we will have money enough to purchase water rights by next month. He has filed a petition with the water commissioner, and we are waiting for their reply. Meanwhile, Amy and I are digging more ditches. She has taught George Michael how to feed the chickens, and he spends much of his day trying to chase after them. We will plant a small crop and hope to keep it watered this year!
Your Loving Sister,
Abigail
August 4, 1872
Dear Maggie,
At the last minute the water commissioner raised the price we were to pay for water rights, and we were unable to purchase them. But we did manage to use a few of the ditches, pumping rain water we collected and what we could carry. There was more rain than usual in July, and so we have a harvest of sorts.
Each evening I put the children to bed just before sunset and join Clayton in the field. We pull corn cobs from their stalks or yank bean plants from the ground until dark. The sun sets in the mountains to the west of us, streaking the sky with every shade of red and pink, turning the mountains a deep purple. The only sounds are the rustling of the corn or beans and the low hum of insects. Sometimes it seems the world has stopped. Then Clayton calls to me and says we should go to bed so that we can start again at sunrise.
The beans and corn and potatoes will last us much of the winter. There are also tomatoes, grapes, cucumbers, and squash. Amy goes out to the garden near the house just after she wakes, sits on the dirt, and eats whatever she can reach.
Dr. Mayfield returned recently from a town in northern New Mexico, where he is thinking about setting up his practice. He said it is a growing town with plenty of people, but he is in love with this valley, the river and the mountains. Yesterday evening he came by with a string of fish he had caught, which were most delicious. Clayton says this is the place for him even if the mines did fail. He and Dr. Mayfield have planned a hunting trip next weekend if the rest of our crops are in. There are all kinds of antelopes, fox, deer, wild sheep, and rabbits in the mountains. You must come for a long visit, and soon, now that our ranch is beginning to prosper!
Your Sister,
Abigail
September 19, 1872
Dearest Maggie,
Last week Clayton left with a wagon load of goods for the mines some miles north of here. He has been offered employment there and will most likely stay on an additional month to earn the wage they are paying out, which is good. Mr. John Deering, who has taken a piece of land about ten miles from here, rode out with Clayton to get work. Clayton has assured me he will send word once he arrives. If the work is good and he intends to stay the winter, I will join him with the children next month.
Mr. Deeringâs wife is anxious to go and see the camps, for she imagines they will be more exciting than living on a farm in the desert. I have tried to describe the type of excitement that fills the camps, but she persists in her curiosity about them. If her husband would let her, I believe she would leave their house and move into a tent tomorrow. She is friendly, if a little naive. She does not believe a lady
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