Hamersly Library

April 27th 1853
Winter qarters, Ioway

Dear brother & sisters,

I write you a few lins to let you know that we are all well at presaant in
hops these few lines will reach you all in the injoyment of the same
blessing we are ten mils above Kainsville waiting for Edward Ground
to come up with us we started from thare yestarday (26) to go to the
fery to cross and Ed broke one wheel of his wagon all to peses the
calculation is to cross to morrow (the 28) we have had about two weeks
of verry wet cool wether, roads is verry bad and streams high we expect
to have a very difficult time to travel for some time, the spring heare is
verry backward no grass of anny conseqence not with standing all this
thay have bin crossing the river with ox teams over a week I think thare
teams will be ablige to suffer we have in our wagons eight or ten days
feed I think by that time thare will be some grass we was three weeks
geting to Kainsville we lay by two days and lost about thre on the acount
of high water we met with no axident more thn that Ed broke one tong
out of his wagon your father broke one king bolt Ira turned over and
some things a little I broke an axeltree out of my small wagon but did not
get it mendid till I got to Kainsville the most of our teams has stood the trip
verry well one of the mules that I got from Lewis is lame I think it has the
swiney something ailds the mare that I got from Norcross I cant find out
what it is I dont think she will do me much good your little mule stands it firs
rate P Haley W Haley Roundtree Leaper & Abel are in the neighborhood
an talk of starting soon thare is a gret crowd of Emigrouts heare but thay
say not half as many as thare was last spring thay all apper healthy I have
not heard of any Cholra or small pox we cold have got all of our out fit at
Kainsville as cheap as in Monmout the boat that was bringing our provisions
up from St Louis sunk about fifty mils below, no lives lost freight and boat
total loss consequently we had to buy our out fit that we lacked I paid for
flower $3.00 for crackers $7 per hundred for coffee 10 cts per pound for
shugar refined 7cts bacon 10 cts I wold like to tell you a good tale about
Ioway and our travels through but have not the time suffise it to say that
the first hundred mils is the flatist and the mudest and the most frog ponds
and nasty slews that I ever saw or herd of the most of the next hund is
fine country it is verry dry and well watered I saw some situations I
liked better than any in old Warren the balance is very broken all most
no timber some good land on the riges the botems here on the river is
verry low and flat the back watter is nearly all over them the Misourie is
unusally high

Kainsville is situated about two mils from the river in the hollows of high
bluffs of the river and about the sis of Monmouth thay gamble get drunk
sware and shve a fellow the closest kind thare is about ten dry good
stores and grocery and saloons inumerable bake shops taverns Black
Smiths, wagon makers, silver smiths Plenty but enough of this

I have found out that thare is a gret deal to do on the road to origon so
much that I have not time to think much about friends and kins folks but
when I do think it makes me feel very serious, for the distance and
dangers between us may cut of that which I so much desire but I hope
time and patience will bring round the time that we can see each othe
again we left a carpet with Butler & Rogers for sale if thay sell it get the
pay if thay do not try to sell it your self I want you to send me the
Monmouth Democrat send it to Independence O.T. dont forget to write
no more at presant I reman your affectionate brother until deat,

Isaac Smith

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