Archive of thirteen letters, two of which were written in 1850 along the Oregon Trail by a pair of young Illinois brothers headed west to find their fortune. The brothers, Marcellus and Amos Harding, left Monmouth, Warren county, Illinois with a wave of other “49-ers” and their letters include excellent content that describes Native Americans, large teams of miners headed to California, and life in the American West. Amos’ letter is particularly notable for its description of Native Americans in Missouri. 
From St. Joseph, Missouri, Marcellus’ letter reads in part: “I am tonight sitting on a big log on Muddy Creek with a quantity of Californians about me…our friend Frank is playing the fiddle on one side of the log and George Hill & Jim drumming on an old tin pan the other and some dancing..some 800 teams have already passed this place.” He relates that the journey west has been smooth so far, but expects to soon experience hardship as their route snakes west from Missouri. Marcellus seems concerned about speculators, who are gouging the travelers on basic supplies. The detail regarding “800 teams” having already passed through St. Joseph speaks toward the sheer number of men who headed west starting around 1849.
Amos’ letter is also written from St. Joseph, but a few days later. His letter reads in part: "I stood on the bluff this morning where I could count over two hundred teams of gold seekers, all like ourselves moving but a few miles a day waiting very impatiently for grass to grow sufficiently so that they can go...to the land of promise." Of interest how he describes the presence of Native Americans in St. Joseph: “The boys have some fine sport here in the woods away from all…human beings and no associates but the poor red men of the first who seem to enjoy themselves as well as the men of science [and] literature. We have received some visits from them when they get them to shooting with their bow & arrow for crackers & other little notions. I can’t say but I may fall in love with some of the black-eyed lasses of the West for certainly they are quite fascinating in their ways. Their habits, some of them, are not quite to my notion, but then I think perhaps they may after becoming acquainted with civilization. Their dress is very nice- all trimmed off in Indian style with beads, shells & stones of every kind. I think that I might perhaps like them a little better if they did not use quite so much yellow ochre & skoke [?] for when one gives them a kiss (which by the by they are very fond of) he will if not very cautious leave an impression.
A family history record indicates that Amos died on 17 June 1850 at Fort Laramie while en route to California. Marcellus’s fate is unclear. Both letters described here are addressed to the brother’s sister, Lavinia.
The other eleven letters were written in the 19th century and relate primarily to family matters in Illinois.
[Gold Rush, West, Mormon, 49-ers, American West, Native American]