This letter written by Jueliette Wogamott's was submitted by Rita Wolgamott ****************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ************************************************************************ State Kansas County Barber Submitted by Rita Wolgamott Jueliette Wolgamott wrote this letter to her daughter Winnie Holman as the family traveled from Cincinnati, Iowa, to Oklahoma by covered wagons in 1899. Winnie married Clark Holman and remained in Iowa. This letter was found in the family Bible. We don't know if Jueliette rewrote the letter. She never mailed this one. September 19, 1899 Left old Cincinnati, Iowa, this morning for Oklahoma. We traveled west going through Seymour and camped three miles west of Seymour. All well, but Madge has a sore foot. September 20, 1899 Left our camp this morning, traveled due west 15 miles passing through what is suppose to be the richest country in southern Iowa, the finest country and buildings. I ever saw and the best roads. We are camped tonight three miles north of Ravanna, Missouri. All well. September 21, 1899 We left our camp ground this morning west and south through Ravanna. It has the most beautiful park I have ever seen, such beautiful trees and flowers. We camped tonight 14 miles north of Trenton. All well but Madge. She is sick. September 22, 1899 We camped last night 14 miles north of Trenton. It rained on us today. The lightning burned a haystack down by Trenton. We went west from Trenton a mile and ate dinner by the bridge. There is a fine road to Jamesport. Trenton is a nice town. We made coffee out of the boiling water that force the water from the river up to the town and into the tower that supplies the city with water. The tower was so full that it was running, over the top. They force the water a mile over lots of rocks. It is quite a sight. We are all well tonight. September 23, 1899 We started on our journey this morning passing through some fine country to Jamestown, Missouri. They have fine crops here. Such corn it resembles stovewood. We came on 12 miles and passed through Gallatin, Missouri. Here, land sells for from $35 to $75 per acre. People here are wonderfully taken with Hereford and Jersey cattle. We camped by the side of a mule ranch. The man said he was offered $4,000 for the bunch but would not take it. All well but Ernie and Charlie. We crossed Grand River today at Gallatin. They have a fine bridge across it. September 24 1899 Well Winnie, today is Sunday but it don't seem so. We came through Winston and Cameron. Winnie, I wish you could see the beautiful flowers we have seen on this road. Cameron has a nice park and lots of darkeys. One man told us there was over 1,000 pupils attended school at Cameron beside the coll egiate. I wish you could see the fields of corn. I never saw the like. We are camped on the creek south of Cameron. September 25, 1899 We are camped tonight 30 miles from the river. None of the children like to travel. Ernie says it is so lonesome without Winnie. People down here don't care for anything but corn and cattle and mules. Corn ground rents for $4 or $5 an acre. They say they had a dry spell in July and cut their crop short. I don't know what they would have done with all of it if it had rained. They say it will make 50 to 90 bushels an acre. We saw one orchard of 20 acres of apple trees. One man had 30 acres of corn. They were grinding it with two mills. He said he could sell the molasses at the mill as fast as he could make it at 35 cent a gallon. He thrashed the seed and it brought him $15 an acre. I don't know whether you can read this or not. I am writing this as we go along. This is fine country north of Liberty. Charlie and Cap are walking. All is well. I am so tired of traveling. September 27, 1899 We camped last night 90 miles south of Kansas City. That is the worst place I ever saw. We crossed the river yesterday. The dirt was blowing so you could hardly see across the street. Don't come that way. I am afraid you will get killed. We are in Kansas now. The farther south we get the better the crops get. Lots of wheat sown looks nice. The children want me to tell you where we camped last night. There were 24 trains passed. Charlie never got homes sick until we got into Kansas City among the cable cars then he wanted to go ba ck. I will send you a card today. I am writing as we go along. We are all well. September 30, 1899 Well Winnie, we came through Ottawa today. It is a fine town. Winnie, I wish you were along to see the country. A drunk man was just here and lit his cigarette. It was an awful sight. He was not over 20. We are camped tonight back of a stone wall close to the orphan home close to Williamsburg, Ka nsas, a 1,000 acres of land fenced with a stone wall. Clark, that country looks odd to me to see all the land under fencing. Wish you folks would come with Salsbey. I believe they would be good folks to travel with. All well tonight. October 2, 1899 Well Winnie, yesterday was Sunday and such a long lonesome Sunday. The wind blowed a gale. But today is a pretty day. We came through Burlington this morning. It is situated on the Neosha River. It is a fine stream and well timbered. All of Kansas we have traveled through is all right. Good wheat , corn, and lots of grass. I will tell you a few of the little towns we came through - Ottawa, Homewood, Williamsburg, and Burlington. Well Winnie, I want you to tell your Uncle John and Aunt Susie for them not to think blackberries and strawberries and grapes can't be raised. Just lots of them. October 4, 1899 Well Winnie, I will write some more now this morning. We are close to Eureka. Ernie is sending you a card. I will finish telling you about the fruit - lots of orchards. They are so full the limbs are lying on the ground but they have a good market. We have paid from, 40 to 60 cents a bushel all t he way through. Potatoes 30 to 50 cents and corn 25 to 35 cents. All the time everybody is cribbing new corn down here. We just came by the graveyard. It is the nicest I have seen. Great stone vaults built in all shapes large enough for a family. We are in Eureka. I will write for I have to do al l my writing going along. I don't know whether you can read it or not. We crossed the Verdigres River yesterday. The little girls and Charlie went wild over shells they gathered all they could carry in their laps. They said they were going to save you part of everything they get. They never forge t yo October 5, 1899 Well Winnie, we are in Leon now. They have stopped to get old Ike shod in front. We ate dinner today on Spring Creek in a grove where they had had a picnic of some kind. It was a nice place. Ernie wants me to tell you of the stone bridge across the creek. It was just as even as it could be. We ha ve been traveling all day around the foot of the Flint Hills. You can't imagine anything about the rock that we have seen. This is as near no town as anything I ever seen. I will be so glad when we get through. I am so tired. A man tried to rent a place in by Eureka 240 acres but we would not sto p. October 6, 1899 Dear little girl, I will write as they have stopped to water the horses on the bank of White River. We just came through Augusta, Kansas. It is situated on the Big Walnut River. It is a nice place but we did not stay long in town. They had the smallpox there but we were north of it end the wind w as in the north. The wind does not blow any harder here than it does back there. I never saw such corn grow as I have seen here in Kansas. If I owned a farm here, I would never move. All well today. October 8, 1899 Dear little girl, this is Sunday and such a lovely day but it don't seem like Sunday. We crossed the Arkansas River the 6th and camped that night by the bridge south of Wichita. That is a nice town larger than Centerville. The children want me to tell you they saw a real canoe. Ernie said to tell you he never expected to see so much wheat. We saw an orchard yesterday of 40 acres. There were seven families camped where we did on the Arkansas River. They were a jolly crowd. One family of Gypsies. The old man and woman cussed one another. She took salve and peddled and begged half the night . I wish you could have seen Ernie and Charlie perform like them. We camped last night south of Clearwater. Corn is 30 cents, potatoes 50 cents, and wheat 40 cents a bushel. Winnie, I wish you could see the wheat fields, lots of them 100 to 160 acres in a field. Charlie says to tell you he saw si x ja October 10, 1899 We came through Anthony yesterday and came west 16 miles toward Hazelton to keep out of the sand. This is a fine country. Where we camped last night a young man tried to sell us a quarter section of land for $300 but it was all cattle raising and not near school. We came through Hazelton this mor ning. It is in Barber County. We are three miles from Kiowa, Kansas, October 13, 1899 Well Winnie, we got to your Uncle Green's Tuesday night about ten o'clock. It is a sight. They live in a dugout with a dirt floor. They have got a pretty place if they had any buildings. We have not got any place yet they are all satisfied but me. The country is all right. I can find not a fault to it but we have got no house to live in that goes a ways with me. They have got plenty of everything to live on but houses are so scarce. Aunt Roxy has got sweet potatoes weighs from three to five pounds. Ernie has gone to Kiowa today. Did you get your pictures for me? I would like to see you both awfully. Well, it cost us $30 to come through. Goodbye. October 18 1899 We traded for a house today of 158 3/4 acres. November 13, 1899 Well Winnie, I will send you this to read. We are all well today. Papa has gone to the timber. The children are gone to school. They go three miles rather than cross the river. Winnie, we have not got a foot of wasteland on our claim. Write often. Don't forget mamma so quick. Good bye dear little girl. Come as soon as you can. Have you still got the geese? What has become of Tom and Ella? Write soon. Clark, what ails your bird? Won't it sing it was the young bird? Dick says to tell you he is going to be a cowpuncher. Write soon. Rita Wolgamott PO Box 274 Hardtner, KS 67057