In this letter addressed to his mother, James Mead writes about his life on the frontier near the Saline River, Kansas Territory. He assures her that he has plenty of groceries, including sugar, meal, flour, beans and apples, as well as coffee and tea. He also informs her that he has sent the family a load of buffalo meat and robes, and he discusses the local fur trade, listing different animals in the area. Mead briefly describes his long term plans, stating that he would ultimately like to go into stock raising. Throughout the letter, he emphasizes the flourishing trade going on in Kansas, in one instance writing that "everybody trades." 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.

Creator: Mead, James R. (James Richard), b. 1836
Date: December 25, 1860