This extraordinary and early 1818 St Louis (Missouri Territory) stampless folded letter (with a rare straight line St Louis postmark) was written by James Noble of Bethel, Windsor county, Vermont. 

We learn from the letter that 23 year-old Noble left his home in Vermont to look for a place to settle in the West. Traveling by boat down the Scioto River through central Ohio to Portsmouth, and by flatboat down the Ohio river to Evansville, Noble makes a side trip to Mount Carmel, IL, and Vincennes, IN, before returning to the Ohio river. At Shawneetown, Illinois, he again left the Ohio river and crossed overland on horseback to Kaskasia and eventually to St. Louis—a journey of 78 days duration.

Noble relays the tale of his arduous journey to a friend in Vermont, spinning tales of wine, mammoth bones, natural springs, and Native American settlements. A colorful and intelligent writer, he weaves a story of adventure, and seems to be relishing the opportunity despite the challenges of a months-long overland journey into the frontier. It is uncommon to find a first-hand account from an early American pioneer such as Noble, one of the many to go west to seek fortune. The letter itself is in excellent condition for its age, with some light foxing and staining that does not detract.


[Revolutionary War, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Founding Fathers, American Revolution, Declaration of Independence, Society of the Cincinnati, War of 1812, American West, Native American, Indian]