Fort George on the Upper Fraser 7 Oct 1874 Marcus Smith Letter
Realized $700 Lot 79 in our auction Saturday 27th March 2021
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Fort George, on the Upper Fraser Oct 7th,1874
My dear wife
I have come down by canoe from Francois lake about 140 miles west of this and am so far on my way back to Victoria. I intended to go down the Fraser by canoe to Quesnelle about 100 miles below this which I should have made in two days but Mr. Jarvis & Mr. Bell’s parties have both arrived here- they have completed the survey down the Fraser valley from Tete Jaume Cache to this place, but there is still about 80 miles to connect with Gamsby-which must be finished before the end of this month-as the winter will then set in- so I am going over the ground ahead of them to blaze a trail- I have a pack train and plenty of provisions with me- I go up the Stewarts or Nechaco river to the Chilacoh thence up the latter to the telegraph trail where I expect to meet Gamsby- thence by telegraph trail to Quesnelle where I expect to arrive about the 18th instant, and am then in a civilized country within reach of mail and telegraph.
I have of course not heard from you since I left Quesnelle on the 23 August- I think the last letter from you I received at Victoria the day before I left-3rd August-I am in excellent health but as rough as an Indian
I have lost all my eyeglasses and spectacles and write this by half by guess-
I send this by canoe going down to Quesnelle
Love to all the children
Yours ever
M. Smith
