64-10-09 Benton Co Oregon October 9th 1864 from LF Canterbury Dear Father & Mother I once more embrace the opportunity of writing to you again. I have been looking for a letter from you a long time and thought I would not write until I heard from you but my patience had become weary & so have determd. to write anhow. Well in the first place we have got along vary well since we came to Oregon. I have been at work all summer & part of the fall at 200 dollers per day. have made about 175,00 dollars Cash Since I came here. Augustus had worked considerable. Sometimes getting 100 & again 150 per day. Andrew has worked some at 50 cts and some 1.00 per day. I have been resting 2 weeks but will commence work again this week. I have been at work in a wagon Shop and can now do a pretty fair job. I expect to continue in the Same Shop for some time to come. I have wornted a good Farm & got moved on it. There is about 40 Acres that I aim to sow in grain and about 40 Acrs of timothy meadow on the place & 90 Acrs in pasture , good House good Barn, (100 fut Long) in fact everything is good fix & good orchard. I give a little over the fourth. We have put up about 40 Bushels of Apples for winter & have flower enough to Last till Christmass, in a word I think we can take care of ourselves decently, but enough of this, when I wrote to you about what I thought of Oregon & don't see any Reason to change that opinion. The Summers are vary pleasant here but little hot weather, in fact none, when compared with the heat of that Country. The warmest day this summer the thermometer stood at 90. We have slept with not less then 2 covers all summer. It but seldom thunders in the Country and then but vary slight. The only annoyance I have encountered here is the Flies. They are numeras on all the Pacific Coast. The people don't have mud to work here like they do there. They sow their grain in the Fall & Early spring, then nothing to do till harvest. The same after harvest etc etc, the grass drys up in July and stock lived on it untill the Fall rains comes on, it then turns green again. This seems strange but still it is time we have had some rain. every month since came here crops is vary good here. Wheat is worth 100 per bushel. Oats held at 50 cts. I don't find any Special fault to this Country & yet it don't seem like home. I think "Old Pike" the best Country I have ever found though People live much better and easyer here then there. for apples, pares, & plums, this Country is unsurpassed. It is a good stock Country, but the grass is not so good as it is there. But they have the advantage here in not having to feed in winter unless a very hard winter. John Norton & Eliza got here about 2 weeks past. Old man Taylor & Sam Taylor & Famiy came along with them. They stayd 3 nights & then went on to Dek's bout 2,5 miles from here. I haven't saw any of our old MO. friends since I came here but Sears, he stayd all night with us once. I got a letter from Cyntha Ann. I wrote to her but have got no answer. I have had no letter from Mo for the last 2 months. The last one was from Uttenback. I cannot tell why any friends there don't write to me. I have Received two letters from you since we came here. One of them I answered, the other I did not, the reason was I was so __________with my work. We have had good health all the time save some chills. Amor & some of the Children had a few chills. My health has been vary good. I weigh 170#. Amor is quite fleshy. Now Grandma Ruhamah, we have some of our pictues taken, expressly to send to you. It has been so long since we have had any letters from there we are afraid to send them until we hear from you or fear you don't get them. When I get a letter from you I will send them. Where is Lizze? I have not heard a word from her since we left Cal. give our Love to all our friends there, tell them I would be glad to have a letter from any of them. It is getting late and I must close. Write often direct as before, I close with many good wishes for you both for the present. Farewell L.F. Canterbury and Ruhamah Canterbury P.S. We live about 1 1/2 miles from Brother Wash. They are well. I killed a nice Deer yesterday. L.F. C.