[Alaska]. Sherzer, Edwin, B.

[Autograph Letter, Signed, from an Early Alaska Gold Rush Entrepreneur to His Fiancée in St. Louis]

Nome, Ak. November 1, 1900. 6pp., with original transmittal envelope. Loose octavo sheets. Previously folded; light, even tanning. In a slightly hurried, but quite legible script. Very good. Item #2888

Missouri natives Edwin Sherzer and his brother were two of Nome's first postal workers, while they endeavored to develop a dog sledding business on the side. In this content-rich letter from the first year of the gold rush in Nome, Sherzer describes his life and pursuits in the Alaska boom town to his fiancée Clara at home in St. Louis.

"We have had lots of snow and everything is on runners and everybody riding. The dogs would simply fly over it and we were sitting back on the sled having great fun.... You see women all wrapped up in furs seated in a basket sled with a team of 5 or 6 dogs running along with them. I have found it fine sport, but my brother says just wait until you get out on the trail and it is work, then you won't enjoy it so much."

He continues, talking up their work prospects with their own sled team and his hopes for their fledgling business:

"We have both been working the post office, but that only lasted till Nov 1. However, we would not have stayed anyway as we have our assessment work to do before January and we can also make more money with our dog team. Four or five persons have tried to buy the dogs from us already and one fellow wanted to hire them but we won't let any of them go, as we have a very fine team and have not been keeping them all summer for nothing."

He also comments on the adjustments necessary to living in such a remote place:

"I suppose everything back home is all excitement over the coming election; up here we don't hear or know anything about it and it will be a long time till we find out who is elected.... I ate in one of the restaurants the other day and when they brought things in on china plates I hardly knew what they were and it seemed strange to eat off of them. In the cabin we never wear out coats and they are about the first thing we take off when we come in. Brother remarked the other day what would the folks think if they could see us eating in our shirtsleeves, however we have to adapt ourselves to things here and we get so hot over the stove getting supper and working around, it is simply impossible to do otherwise."

A spirited and descriptive letter concerning life in Nome from a St. Louis native and relative early arrival to the Alaska Gold Rush.

Price: $1,500.00