65-0302A  Benton County Oregon  March 2, 1865  to E & A Damrell fromDear 
Father and Mother  Your of the 13 Nov and mailed 5 of Jan came to hand 
yesterday and this morning I seat myself to Reply.  Well, Pa and Ma you don't 
know how anxious we was to hear from you.  I have gone or sent to the office 
evry mailday for the last 2 monts and you guess that we was getting some  what 
impatient but all right now, well I wrote to you in Nov, in which letter I 
sent you some of our pictures.  Hope you have receiv'd them.  Long in this  in 
that Letter I told you what Reuben Straham & Family was here.  Since that time 
the Doctor has Landed here.  They are at Corvallis the County Seat, of this 
County, about 15 miles from here.  They are doing vary well, you ask me which 
would be the best way to come to this Country by Land or water, I answer 
unless a person has plenty of money it is best to come by Land.  it Cost 
Reuben Straham about one Thousand Dollars and the Doc about five hundred 
Dollars of course in "Lincoln Green". They wan about one month on the road, a 
person coming by Land don't pay out half so much money, and then they have 
their teams & wagons left, which is worth as much or more here.  There they 
cost th--- If I was coming I should apprehend no danger from the Indians, as 
there will be a vary heavy Emiggration next season beside there is a good many 
soldiers stationed at different along the road.  So with the presants of the 
soldiers the Emigrants will be fully able to take care of themselves.  Well, I 
will not advise any of you to come here for I don't believe, takeing all 
things into the account that this is any better Country Then that. it is true, 
it has several advantages over that Country.  Such as wheat, Fruit, water, and 
being warmer in winter and cooler in summer, also a person can make more money 
here on half the labor than they can there but there are some objections to 
this Country, such as Flu,s, ticks in winter and then grass is not so good as 
it is there, again there is a greater proportion of poor Land here then there 
is here, and again it rains too much in the winter.  These constitute my 
objections to This Country, we have had but vary little snow this winter.  One 
snow fell in Dec about 2 inches deep and lay on the ground about one week.  
The Ground froze probably 2 inches, but thawd out as soon as the snow went 
off.  during the whole winter when it was clear at knight the ground would 
freeze a little, and frost but would all thaw during the day, but when ever 
the wind gets in the south and Remains there a day or two it rains, we now 
have a snow on the ground about 3 inches deep.  The ground is not frozen any 
and the snow melting.  but after considering everything The situation of that 
Country, and your future prospect there, I feel Truly thankful that we are 
here and would not be back their if we could because I look for nothing but 
Abolition Tyraney and oppression there, for years to come
in this Country by next Election we calculate to be fully able to Elect 
democrats to all the important offices in this state then (if alive) won't I 
Rejoice?  Now Grand Ma, was you both not so feeble I should insist on you 
coming here, to get out of the dangers and troubles of that Country if you 
were here you could get along much easyer then you can there.  if you ware 
here, 3 or 4 Acres of wheat & the same of oats & 5 or 6 doz hens, would meet 
every nessary expense, and more too, the hens would by evry thing that you 
would kneed close included.   we have sold this winter 15 dollars worth of 
Eggs, and have several dollars worth on hands now, I will now give you some of 
the prices of things here.  good horses from one to two hundred Dollars. oxen 
about one hundred Dollars.  Cows from 15 to 20 Dollars, pork meat 8 dollars 
per hundred, wheat 1,23 per bu, Oats 50  cts, per bs.  Eggs 20 cts per doz. 
butter 30 cts per lb coffee 3 1/2 lbs for one Dollar, Sugar 20 cts per lb. by 
the Retail, calico 20 to 23 cts per yd, downes tic 40