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Letter from California 1876

Written to his hometown newspaper, The Osage County Chronicle, Riley Hoskinson tells of his and wife Martha's journey from Osage Co., KS to a new home in Cloverdale, Somona Co., CA. The trip cost the two of them roughly $70 and was quite pleasant: "From Topeka to Omaha, $11.00; from Omaha to San Francisco, on the Emigrant Train, $45.00; from "Frisco" by steamer and railroad to Coverdale, $4.25 each. The arrangements for emigrants are admirable. At Omaha the Railroad Compa- ny have a large house called the Emigrant House, where all are cared for in excel- lent style, at $1.00 per day. Here the names of all are taken that have procured tickets: and then all are mustered near the cars, and as each family or individual is called, they, or he, are placed in one of the cars, and each passenger allowed one entire seat, which must be kept till they reach Ogden, when they are changed into cars from California, in the same manner as before. On reaching Sacramento, Cal., the same nice arrangement takes place in the transfer from cars to steamer. Plenty of food, dry wood, and excellent water are furnished the entire route. Provisions plenty, to be had at most all the stopping places, and mostly at reasonable rates. Where two or more persons go together they can purchase a kind of cushion that just fills the space between the seats, and thus make a comfortable bed. Thus we found the trip quite pleasfortable (the last word likely a typo by the editor)." The final stage of the journey "...we took stage 65 miles to Albion, situated on the Ocean shore; went by wagon 10 miles out into the Red Wood region; found our children all well, and busy making railroad ties out of those monster trees, many of which are 14 feet in diameter, and 300 feet high. I helped measure one that was 45 feet around.....Splitting out and hauling railroad ties pays tolerably well, but is very hard work."

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