Letters from the West

http://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibits/current/binding-the-nation/moving-west/your-letters-are-read-with-eagerness/waterman-ormsbys-letter.html 1) What was this letter(s) about? The letter was about a man who had recently purchased land in the West, and was writing for his wife and child. He sent this to his wife to inform her about his ventures in the West, and what he expected them to do in the following year. He told her that he had selected 160 acres of land as well to other plots in case that one didn’t pan out. The man told his wife that while the land is beautiful it does have its fair share of issues, but that they will be able to start a life, and live in a house made of sod that is as just as good as any other house. He later finds out that the land he had procured had been taken up by some others, but that he intended to get it back. 2) What stood out to you in the letter? The letter didn’t really pay much attention to grammar, and was mostly just a man telling his wife about his initial feelings of the West. 3) How important was the act of letter writing at this point in time to people migrating West? What did it mean to them or their loved ones? The act of writing a letter while migrating to the West was very important because it allowed settlers to communicate with those they left at home. It was the only means of communication with those in the West, so maintaining a correspondence with loved ones was important because it offered settlers a connection to those in the East.