Philip Burlingham to his son-in-law and daughter Ed and Susan Rice, 31 December 1870-1 January 1871
[This letter enthuses about the weather, cheap property, and potential ease of life in California, and about moving there to live; but also talks about how most of the men there live day-to-day because they "lay round like large dogs all summer and scarcely doo any work."]
Soapweed saturday night Dec 31st 1870
I now take my pen to address a few lines to you in answer to your kind letters of the Dec 18th which was duly receivd last night. But what shal I write. I have already written all that I know and some that I only guess at.
My health continues good and I hope this will find you the same. The weather has been not only warm but hot in the middle of the day. It froze but little night before last and none last night and it is stil warmer tonight than it was last night.
I have been sawing a part of the day with a little crosscut only 12 feet long. It is the awfulest saw that I ever saw in my life. It is a perfect man killer. It is a buck load for one to carry to say nothing about drawimg it all day. I am tired tonight and don't think I can write much but will try and get time to write some tomorrow.
Thank you for telling about the stock and the work for both possess much interest for me.
About moving to Cal I was never more in earnest in my life than I am in what I say about moving to this country. I am satisfied that a man can live here with less than half the labour that it takes to live in the states and if he will try he can dig up money just as much easier as he can live. And a healthier country does not exist beneath the light of the Sun. If so it has never yet been found by man.
The only draw back I think of now is it is one of the awfulest countries to get about in that you ever saw. The mountains here are jumbled together in all kinds of shapes and on some of the roads so steep that 3 good horses can't draw an empty waggon up without help. I went twice with 2 other men and helped a waggon up a hill. The waggon was empty and had three good heavy horses before it.
I could buy a ranch here of some 200 acres with good building and good fences. A large orchard that yields abundance of all kinds of fruit such as apples pears peaches plumbs cherries prunes Apricots Necterines quinces and grapes together with a good water ditch that carries water all summer sufficient to irrigate the whole. I could buye the whole for $3,000 that is the right of the present owner and occupant. Thare is another ranch in the same vicinity that can be had for about the same price with about the same cultivation and a water ditch some 12 miles long and that cost to dig it $25,000. The whole can be had for $3,500. The fact is the mining is so nearly played out people can barely live at it and these ditch men can't sell water because the mines don't pay enough so that the miners can afford to buy and hence the depreciated value of the ditch property.
Thare are hundreds of men here I have talked with that have been here from 10 to 20 years that today can't raise a dollar more than will supply their daily necessities. The reason of that is they don't try to raise the first thing to live on even whare they have as many of them have a good chance to raise their potatoes and all kinds of vegetables. They lay round like large dogs all summer and scarcely doo any work. Some of them spend a portion of the time in prospecting and find nothing and if they doo make a raise the will spend a portion of it at the gaming table and another portion at places still more disreputable and disastrous in its [__?__]. Idleness and extravagance are the rule industry and economy the exception in this country.
But enough of this.
Jan 1st 1871 Again I take my pen to scribble a little more. A happy new year to you. Tel Roy3 that Father did laugh when he read his nice little letter. Tel him he is a good boy to write to father and father wishes he could see him.
Well I must begin to bring this to close. I am sorry to hear that health is not good. But I hope as the winter comes on it will improve. Well Sukey I am sorry to learn of your bad luck but it is not so bad as it mite have been. Give my best respects to all inquring friends. Please read both sides of this and try and make one letter of it. I remain yours in hope of a joyfull meeting in the spring.
To Ed and Sukey Rice
P. Burlingham
[Along the left margin, oriented 90 degrees from the body of the letter, is the following.]
Jan 1st. The weather is clear and warm like the pleasantest kind of an April day without a cloud to be seen.
- Edward H. Rice (1839-1913), Philip's son-in-law
- Susan Burlingham (1837-1923), Philip's daughter
- Leroy E. Rice (1869-1956), Philip's grandson