Lot
464 
(Trail Letters) (Unorganized Territory West of Missouri, now Kansas) Camp on the Little Blue River… May 28th 1849. Heading on stampless folded letter from a man to his father in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, hand carried back on the emigrant trail and mailed with "St Joseph, Mo, Jun 26" cds and "X" handstamped rate marking, some splitting at the folds, stains on the address panel, F.-V.F. Estimate $400 - 600.
Letter reports about an ill companion "…he expired, and we buried him on the road side four hours after his death, deeming it rather dangerous to keep his body any longer. I put a head stone to his grave and inscribed his name and age on it. We also put a cross on his grave." and "…our wagon (unless we can get our tires cut) will not get to California. We had to get some of the emigrants to haul 500lbs of our provisions until we reach Fort Laramie… where we can have our wagon fixed…." and about the location "The encampments along this river for 60 miles are not more than from a half to a mile apart. The road through the day looks more like a turn pike leading to a large city than a road leading to the west." and finally "We have already met about 10 wagons returning to the states. The owners had already become sick of their trip. They sold out everything but what was necessary to carry them back home… I must conclude as the man who takes this is about to start.".
Realized: $800