Title:
Letter from [John Muir] to George Galloway, 1872 Apr 25.
Creator:
[John Muir]
Publisher:
University of the Pacific Library Holt-Atherton Special Collections. Please contact this institution directly to obtain copies
of the images or permission to publish or use them beyond educational purposes.
Contributor:
George Galloway
Date:
1872 Apr 25
2008
Type:
Text
Format:
Image/jpeg2000
Identifier:
muir02_0792-md-1
Source:
Original letter dimensions: 28 x 22 cm.
Language:
eng
Coverage:
Yosemite Valley
Rights:
Copyrighted
The unpublished works of John Muir are copyrighted by the Muir-Hanna Trust. To purchase copies of images and/or obtain permission
to publish or exhibit them, see
http://library.pacific.edu/ha/forms
Muir-Hanna Trust
1984
Transcription:
Yosemite Valley, April 25, '72. Dear Nephew George Galloway: I got your letter and read it twice. I like letters when
they are written by farmers boys for then they are always full of something that smells like hay and wheat and fresh butter
and milk and they always seem to be tanned brown with sunshine. I think your description of the long shining tailed peacocks
is first-rate. You are going to make a grand scholar. I'm glad you like your wild cats and dogs. I like all things that are
wild better than tame things. God takes care of everything that is wild but he only half takes care of tame things. A man
shot a lynx in this valley last winter. Wild cats are thick here in the rocks and brushy thickets. Bears come to the valley
sometimes. A man shot one here last fall and a hunter by the name of Duncan shot 59 bears not far from here in ten years.
I know a canon north from here that is full of big bears.They eat acorns and manzanita berries. Last fall I was far and high
in the mountains and my bread was done and I got only a handful of crumbs for my dinner and at night after climbing hard all
day had to lie down on the rocks without any supper, and in the morning had to climb again without any breakfast, and about
noon I found some manzanita berries and ate a whole lot, like a bear, and at night I got to Yosemite and found plenty to eat,and
then I took a long rest and went up the mountain again. Some day I think you'll come here to see the waterfalls and the high
rocks. Goodnight. From your uncle John who always loves you.