James R. Mead writes this letter from his home "somewhere in the West." He has a trading post about twenty miles north of the Saline River and west of Fort Riley, Kansas Territory. He describes in detail the abundance of wildlife, calling western Kansas the "Land of Plenty." Mead and his business partners trade with the Kaw Indians, mostly for furs. His first impression of this tribe was unfavorable, but in his later years he came to respect the Kaw and believed that they were an honest people. He also mentions the Copperhead Indians, who were more fierce and warlike than the Kaw. Mead and his companions are building a blockhouse in case there is trouble. While Kansas may have been a bountiful place, the efforts of white settlers to gain buffalo hides helped speed up the decline of Native Americans in the American West. These typed copies of the James R. Mead's letters were donated to the Kansas State Historical Society by Mr. Mead's family in 1940 when the originals were still owned by the family. The originals are now held by Wichita State University.