This lot consists of a letter from J M Mayson to Edward Hicks regarding a recent accident that Hick's friend had suffered.  The lot consists of the letter, dated April 9, 1875, along with the cover which has a San Francisco cancel and a fancy cancel.  (Pencil markings that have been partially erased). Finally, there is the newspaper clipping which describes the accident.  Joseph Eastland kept a diary of his experiences as a gold miner and Hicks was a famous Nashville pioneer who had briefly gone to the gold rush. 

Ninety six pages of information with great illustrations regarding Chalk Creek Gulch in Colorado.  Soft bound booklet published in 1975.  Has a guide for passengers on Stage Coaches from 1870, which is a hoot. 

There are three letters from the 1880s in this lot, one written by E G Hayes to his wife at the Merchants Hotel in St. Paul Minnesota. and the other two from the Merchant's Hotel in Deadwood, D T.  The graphic letter sheets showing the hotel was the letter addressed to the wife and is seven pages long.  The advertising cover is from the Hotel in Deadwood.  The cancel is indistinct but presumably from Deadwood. The content of all three letters (four pages) is regarding the struggles of E G Hayes to bring his ill son home.  He was a soldier at Fort Meade.  He was able to do some sight seeing while attempting to go to Fort Meade.  ""visiting the large gold quartz mills here to day.  Some of them the largest in the world and gold quartz in the hills here to? twenty five such mills running for one hundred years.  There is now thirteen mills running five new ones building within four miles of Deadwood, turning out from 25 ? $125.00 per month for each mill.  The Terry Mills pays profit from all expenses of $75.00 per month."

I could hardly wait when I bought this 1926 letterhead to research it and find out what I could on this interesting event. Here is what I found on the web.

Soft bound booklet printed in 1961 by the Florida State University Library.  Signed by the author. The original printing of this book was in 1894. Good condition.  I could find only one example on the web that was available at the time of this listing and it was priced over double this price.  The book covers the Cattlemen's invasion of Wyoming in 1892.

Signed by the author on the title page.  Published in 1997 by the Utah State Historical Society.  417 pages including index.  Illustrations.  Very nice copy.

Author Charles Kelly-publisher Jack Bacon & Co-Reno Nevada-2005.   The fascinating history of Caleb Greenwood who led emigrants to California through hostile Indian territory. This is a reprint of the 1965 book.  There is a clear sticker on the first page stating that the book was in honor of someone's retirement.

Soft bound booklet in typewriter form, published in 1985.  121 pages with Index.  Good condition. Previous owner's name in red.  Nevada

1958 edition of this important work in 1881 by Thompson and West. 680 pages with numerous illustrations.  See scans to view the long crease in the spine.  Back board is curved inward giving the book as little lopsided.   Lowest price on the web at the time of this listing. 

Three and a half page letter written on rag paper with original cover, though with part of it torn off.  The letter was written by Joseph G Eastland from San Francisco on July 4th 1856. I have transcribed the letter minus the personal content.

Two page personal letter from a publishing house in Huron, Dakota (pre-statehood).  Personal letter, speaks of some asking him to run for Mayor and also mentions a $5,000 loss is a "Pierre Fire." Faint cancel from Huron. Indian territory

Small advertising letter sheet and cover signed by Ed Benke in Nordland, Dakota.  Benke was a early pioneer in Kingsbury County, Dakota.  Cancel is from Nordland.  Indian Territory

This book was published in 1906.  I bought it just for the pictorial cover.  The biggest condition problem is a disruption in the end papers-actual tears in several areas.  One page has a serious tear, with a large portion missing.  Think of it this as a display piece.

This book was published in 1904 by Fleming H Revell Company. It's in better than average condition with normal wear. Color on the first scan is more characteristic of the color.  Gold rush

This is one page of a letter written by a Nashvillian who has moved to Salida. On the back of the letter is a lengthy description of the benefits of Salida. The letterhead is for F Gillett & J D Whitehurst, Staple and Fancy Groceries. Some wear to the thin paper letterhead with folds, and a tear at top edge.

Complete sample book for Buffalo Bill's book about Daniel Boone and Kit Carson, as well as his own exploits, W F Cody, otherwise known as Buffalo Bill. This is the 1888 edition. As with most sample books. it does not include the full text, however the color lithograph illustration of "Buffalo Bill to the Rescue" is present. The spine is missing and the leather boards have separated from the rest of the book and of course detached. The inside spine example has some wear as can be seen the scan. The fancier version at the back that the buyer could select is in remarkable condition. This includes the pictorial leather cover and spine. The prospectus is partially discolored and pasted to the inside. The order blanks are in the back, but not filled in. The interior pages are stained with wear from being handled multiple times by potential buyers.

Softbound booklet, reprint 1961 Edition. This is the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Siox.

Softbound booklet by Fred and Jo Mazzulla published in 1968. Relates the alarming story of Al Packer , a Colorado prospector who was alleged to have killed five of his fellow prospectors and lived off their flesh. Fifty pages, filled with illustrations. Signed by the two authors, Fred and Jo Mazzulla and the wry inscription,"Bon appetit."

Soft bound reprint in good condition. 1865

Softbound book by Harold Felton printed in 1966 by Dodd Mead & Company, N Y. Good condition

Nice condition on the facsimile copy printed in 1970 the Old Army Press. Soft bound book with 155 pages. This is the first reprint of the book printed by Mulford in 1879. Mulford covers "the fighting Indians" in Custer's Seventh United States Calvary. Very scarce book.

Important work on the Plains Indians: A Cultural and Historical View of the North American Plains Tribes of the Pre-Reservation Period. Only condition problem is an inked note by the first owner and an old price in red ink. There is also a stamp on the title page which names the owner, Donated in Memory of. Crescent Books 1994.

Three and a half pages (front to back) from Joseph G. Eastland, (his history follows) San Francisco, November 30, 1857 complete with cover which is worn and dingy. Cancel reads San Francisco December 10, number 5. Written at the top is written Pr "Golden Gate", which was a steamer that carried the mail. Written to Edward Hicks, Nashville Tennessee, a Tennessean who had been a Forty Niner. "Your letter from Chagres reached me safely, giving me the satisfaction of knowing that your journey, with the exceptions of the "shakes" on the "Columbus", and the mud on the Isthmus, had so far been a pleasant and expedition over. I hope it so continued, until you had passed a pleasant stay in New Orleans, and went booming up the river on some fine steamer, you jumped ashore on the rocky wharf of our beloved "City of Rocks" (Nashville). Much would I have liked to have been with you, but Fate rules otherwise and I must content myself with a while longer stay in California, with a lively hope of "the good time coming"-- Things in this country go on, about as when you left. San Francisco is still improving very rapidly, Brick houses becoming almost as plenty as tents used to be, the flats in front of the city still being filled up, the wooden streets, which were almost burnt up by the great fires, are being repaired, the sand Hills in our part of town, (Happy Valley) are being leveled, and in fact everything betokens that should, the mines continue as productive as they are, this will in time be on of the great cities of the earth. The miners are yielding about as when you left-though within a week or two there have been new discoveries made of very rich localities, one of them, Bear Valley in Mariposa County, is said to be rich beyond precedent-the gold being found at a depth of about 12 feet interspersed through a stratum of clayish soil, similar to the "coyote" diggings about Nevada City. New discoveries of quartz heads (?) have also been made-both the North and South, all going to show the inexhaustibility of the mines for years to come. So Ed, should you ever become tired of the sameness of home-life, and bend your steps hither, no fear but that you will find diggings enough where you can "stake out" a "clam" and again take up "de shubbel and de hoe" The rainy season has not yet commended in good rains, though since I have been writing, there has been a fine shower, but now the sun is shining brightly upon the re freshened earth–there are many in the mines who are waiting anxiously for the rain, being unable to do anything until it comes, which I hope may be soon, and that may not be disappointed as they were last winter... . The two fine theaters here are in full blast and really present very creditable performances-for which they are well repaid by the "play-goers," ( a large class in this city) The gambling saloons are consequently less resorted to than of yore, and as large a crowd collects to a man is a fifty dollar "slug", as these used to would to witness a bearded miner, "pongale down" his greasy bag containing a couple of thousands.-- Col. Crussman, of Clarksville died here about three weeks ago and was followed to the grave by about twenty of us, principally from old Tennessee–he was an estimable gentleman, liked by all who know him. (his history follows) Rest is personal news Two of the individuals named in this letter, which is quite legible, are named in a book by Walter T Durham, "Volunteer Forty-Niners: Tennesseans and the California Gold Rush." Joseph B Eastland accompanied his father Thomas B Eastland to the gold rush and his memoirs were printed in the California Historical Society Quarterly 18, no 2 June l939) which was titled "To California Through Texas and Mexico, The Diary and Letters of Thomas B Eastland and Joseph G Eastland, His Son." Eas

Four page letterhead from Donahue's Union Iron an Brass Foundry in Happy Valley, San Francisco California. Letter dated August 14, 1852. Nice cover with 10 cent due stamp. Letter is to Edward Hicks and is from James G Eastland. Here is some of the more interesting content. "The immigration across the plains is now pouring in, and with that around the Horn and across the Isthmus, is adding thousands to the population of the state, and of course to its wealth-but I am afraid that for the majority of them disappointments, will be the greater part of their mornings, until they make up their minds to be content with small things in the way of money making--A great portion of the mining population for some months past have been engaged in damming and sluicing preparatory to working the beds of the streams, and as yet have not commenced earning anything, owing to the waters having continued high later than usual --this kind of mining you know is even more of a lottery than any others, and what the results will be, is not as yet known, however, no doubt but a great amount of gold will be taken out, and many a bearded "mininger" will make a "pile" sufficient to cause him to rejoin his family in the states-many of them to return again for life, as there seems to be such an attraction about this country, that those who are most loud in their vows never to set foot upon its soil again, are often back again in less than six months after leaving. This city is going ahead beyond precedent, real substantial improvements they are too, that will defy conflagrations. The Chinese still continue to arrive and the feelings towards them is much better, than it was some months ago, for my part I am decidedly "down" on them and dislike to see our mines made the common property of the whole world. I'm something of a Native American any how." Discussion of see a performance of William Booth and a pageant in honor of Eastland was a chronicler of the gold rush and kept a diary of his own experiences.

" Joseph B Eastland accompanied his father Thomas B Eastland to the gold rush and his memoirs were printed in the California Historical Society Quarterly 18, no 2 June l939) which was titled "To California Through Texas and Mexico, The Diary and Letters of Thomas B Eastland and Joseph G Eastland, His Son."

  Postal history San Francisco

Second edition printed in 1973 of this book by Jefferson, Delaney and Thompson and edited by Floyd O'Neil. Very nice condition.

Title of this sheet is El Dorado or Gold Digger's Quick Step, composed by "A Miner". Published in Boston in 1849. Blank cover sheet and the music is actually on the inside. Nice condition.