Lincoln County ID Archives History - Letters .....Letter Home From Shoshone January 7, 1900
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
James Chamberlain jchamberlain@kwic.com July 30, 2005, 10:21 pm

Book Title: 

Letter from Catherine Mary Coates to her family back in Huron county Ontario 
Canada
She was married to John James Coates who was a  partner in the sheep ranching 
business in Idaho with his brother George Thomas Coates in the late 1800’s 
early 1900’s. 

Shoshone Jan 7/00
Dear Sisters
I now sit down to write you a few lines to let you know I arrived safe and 
sound on Saturday night at 10 minutes past nine. If we had made good 
connections we would have got here on Friday evening but the trains seemed to 
be so slow. We did not have to stop in Chicago at all. There was a man came on 
the train just before Chicago with transfer tickets and I gave him 75 cents for 
one and of course Annie McNichol got one on her ticket so we just got off the 
train and got in the transfer bus and was driven to the union depot and we just 
had time to get on the train and away again. So we was going all the time until 
Saturday morning .The train got into Ogden Utah at two o’clock in the morning 
and did not leave until after eleven that day so we went to bed for awhile. I 
gave $1.50 for bed but we enjoyed it all right. Jack got into town on Wednesday 
night. He was at the depot looking for us. He left supper ready for us and went 
to the depot for us. I tell you I enjoyed a cup of tea and potatoes and meat. 
He had a loaf of baker’s bread and a pan of bread of his own making but I liked 
his bread the best. We went to bed about twelve but we did not go to sleep. We 
talked till 4 o’clock in the morning. We had about 9 or 10 visitors on Sunday. 
He got my letter on Saturday morning telling him that I was not going to bring 
a girl with me and you bet he was surprised when he saw that I got one and he 
knew her as soon as he saw her. He went and told Mrs. Gooding that night. You 
bet she was tickled for he told her that morning that I could not her a girl 
and her lip was hanging all day. Annie went to work on Tuesday night and she 
has been down two or three times since. She seems to like her place very well. 
She says it is the easiest earned wages she ever got. She has near all 
afternoon to herself and part of the forenoon. She don’t think she will ever 
work in Canada again. Jack left for camp on Wednesday. He will not be back to 
town again for about 6 weeks. There was quite a lot of snow when I came home 
but it has rained and thawed and it is mostly all gone now. Frank Gooding told 
Jack that he refused 18 cents a pound for his wool and could have got $10,000 
down on it if he had taken it. So there must be sure of a good price when they 
would give him so much down on it. Have you got moved over to the shanty yet or 
has Bob been down to Toronto. He will be getting settled after you move to the 
shanty. I got a nice little coal stove. Jack had it up when I got home. It 
saves quite a bit of coal to what the kitchen stove burns. The house was nearly 
eat up with mice. Everything was covered with mice nasty. Pearl is always 
writing to Santa Clause but never finishes any of them. Earl is going to 
school. He likes it very well. He was put back in the fourth reader again .If 
it had not been Xmas week I would have a lot of duty to pay. The plums you gave 
me there was a lot of them run out of the jar. One of George’s shirts was 
wrapped around and I had to wash the shirt. They were fermented. I boiled them 
over. That big Jardineer that Dinnie me was all broken to pieces but I got it 
cemented together so it don’t look bad. I was so sorry about it. Well I think I 
have told you all the news. So hoping to hear from you soon. I will close. 
Write soon and tell me all the news for it is lonesome without Jack. Bye Bye 
from Kate


Catherine Mary Coates passed away 2 months later on February 28 1900 and is 
buried in Shoshone cemetery. Lincoln county,Idaho


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