Addressed to…
Mrs. Mary L. Buswell, R.F.D. #1, Sioux Falls, SD

Toppenish, Wash. • Aug. 9 – 08
Dear Mother,

I received your letter of the 2nd inst. on Sat. instead of Friday this time. I was working yesterday and 1/2 the day before on a grand stand for a ball park and will probably work there tomorrow. I have a chance to work at two different places. Both are waiting for material which will probably be here in a day or two.

There is another business block to be built in Zillah [Washington]. They say there will be a bank there. The Odd Fellows in Zillah have finished the foundation to their building and have begun on the walls which are concrete blocks.

They have already rented one of the store rooms down stairs — (there is one small one on the side street left) — and two of the four office rooms upstairs. There are two large school houses to be built in Toppenish as soon as the bids are made and the contracts are awarded. Also several residences.

A number of the people say that there will be considerable building as soon as the weather is cooler. From what I have seen of the summer here, I think it is very pleasant. There are only a few days so far when we don’t have a breeze and it is always cool when there is a breeze.

The mountains do not show up very well in the hot weather. There is a sort of haze something like we have at home in the indian summer. We cannot see much but a dim outline of the mts. and sometimes only of those near by.

Mr. R. is a good cook. He used to work in hotels and restaurants. I wash the dishes and clean up.

I heard that Jonas C. was going to marry Miss C. before I came away, but I did not place much confidence in the report. Probably it is the same old story revived.

I rather expected Buchanans to come back to the farm soon. Does Fred expect to have his oats threshed or will he feed them in the bundle? How many acres did he have?

I received the Building Estimator all right, also the C&B and the bundle of the Press. [Probably he means a S.D. local newspaper — maybe Yankton Press & Dakotan, if it was in regular publication at the time, another thing #needsresearch.]

Did you send the Review of Reviews? I did not get the McClures this month as I did not go after it until they were all gone. [This must have been a periodical publication. Just coincidence that we have distant relatives last name of McClure?]

I do not think that General Kuropatkin will tell anything that the Russian Govt does not want told unless he has left Russia.

Your loving son,
W.J. Buswell

I found another nickel last night. Did you have the last film developed that I sent home? Please put this paper away for me.

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Will seems to have been an avid news reader and followed the political issues of his day. fyi: Alexei N. Kuropatkin was the Russian Imperial Minister of War from 1898 to 1904. He was also involved in a Russian conflict with Japan, and a commander during WWI — which hasn’t started yet, as of 1908.

The recipient wrote “Shurtlef Shurtleff concert” on the back of the envelope. Random trivia: letter postage in the USA at the time was 2 cents for first class. That included the envelope, as the envelope was purchased from the Toppenish P.O. with postal imprint printed in red ink and embossed.

Toppenish, Wash • Jul 26 – 08
Dear Mother,

I received your letter of the 19th inst. I have started to keep bachelors hall with two others this week. Mr. Reindollar and Mr. Walter Myers from Huron, SD, and another man will probably join us in a week or two.

We rented a house for $5.00 per mo. and 3 of us were paying a total of $22.00 per mo. for a room each week. Mr. R. and I are boarding ourselves. We do not know just how much it will cost us, but we expect to save more than half. The man who owns the house left us a good stove.

We made a table for 69¢ and a bunk each. Mine cost 25¢ for the lumber and I wove some string and rope across for a bed spring, the same as you fix the chair seats. Then I lay my quilt across double and put a sack filled with underwear, etc. for my pillow. When it gets colder I am going to get a woolen blanket from Montgomery and perhaps another quilt.

We made an ice box out of a large box and a small one inside of it, and the space between packed with sawdust, and a cover over each. We bought a few dishes and cooking utensils. I bought about a half cord of wood — blocks and pieces left over from building a house — for 50¢ and it cost 50¢ more to have it hauled.

I did not have any work for a week or 10 days — except a promise of some — but am working now and the prospects are very good for the future. I have not heard whether I will get that contract or not but probably will in a day or two.

The town in getting very busy now a days. They are shipping considerable fruit and hay tho not near as much as they will in about a month.

They are going to build two new school houses here besides the one that I am figuring on, and have just started a 2-story hospital and 2 more brick blocks.

When the reservation is opened there will be plenty of work I think. We do not know just when it will open but it will probably be within 8 mo.

Please send the August C&B when it comes. Hope you have sent the Building Estimator book I sent for.

Your loving son,
W.J. Buswell

I will enclose 55¢ to pay for the photos and for postage on the papers you send out.

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Note: I wonder what the “C&B” periodical publication is that Will mentioned. Doesn’t seem likely it would be “Crosse & Blackwell” outside of the UK, does it? Or “Callard & Bowser’s” — all I can think of at the moment. Put it on the list: #needsresearch.

Also curious: where’s Kate during this time? I had thought they went to Toppenish together, but clearly, she’s not there with him in 1908.

FYI: There will be occasional abbreviations and references that don’t mean anything to me, either. If I can, I will clarify in brackets.

Will Buswell is about 38 years old when he writes this letter. Not sure what Will was doing as a younger adult, but I assume working as a farmer on family-owned land? His father was 66 and neither very strong or healthy, it would seem. (I don’t know that James Murdock Buswell had been injured in the Civil War, but something like PTSD must have been an issue.)

Addressed to: Mrs. Mary L. Buswell, R.F.D. #1, Sioux Falls, SD

Toppenish, Washington • July 12 – 08
Dear Mother,

I received your welcome letter of the 5th inst. Am glad to hear that you have the old S.S. started again. Perhaps you will be more successful this time as it has been so long since there has been any that people will be more interested. There are surely enough people if they will come.

We have had quite warm weather this week, several days over 100 in the shade. But it is quite pleasant if one is working in the shade.

Work is getting pretty scarce here now tho there are a few new buildings starting. A good many people are going away. I want to work here as long as I can as it is too expensive to move about. From all I hear, it is about the same everywhere, so there is not much use to run about anyway.

It can not be that Fred [his brother] is taking very good care of his bees to let them swarm so much. But I suppose that he is too busy as usual.

Is there no water running through the tile or is it all filled up?

I got the July C&B tho it took nearly 2 weeks to get here. Do not send the Aug. number until I tell you because I may move before then.

The church at NY is made of stone. Did I send home a postal card picture of it?

Well, I have been here over a year now and I think that the climate here can not be excelled tho some who come from Cal. claim that is much better. Besides the climate I do not think it is any better here than in S.D. or at least in Sioux Falls.

I think I would like Seattle if it were not so wet and rainy in the winter. There seems to be much difficulty in raising tomatoes here. They most all die as soon as they begin to blossom but yield immensely if they live thru. I think they put too much water on them in the hot weather and scald them.

Why does not Fred write?

I cannot decide what I will do until I find whether we are going to have hard times. It looks very much to me as tho we would. I want to stay here as long as I can get work then I suppose I must go home. — In any event I will be coming home but the time is rather uncertain.

I have not received The Review but probably will in a day or two.

Your loving son,
W.J. Buswell

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Aside: My mom was a voracious reader who came from a long line of readers, par excellence. On the back of the envelope, I see where the recipient had written the title of two publications she didn’t want to forget: Adventures in Contentment; The Open Road. I’m still finding random notes about books in papers my mom left behind. Now I realize her grandma did the same thing.

Today’s offering is Will Buswell’s earliest letter that I have, written to his mother from Brookings, SD, in 1903 (March 5). [That’s where one of the South Dakota’s universities is located.] I’m not sure what kind of a training course he enrolled in, but he did eventually become an architect and skilled builder, so I know he paid attention.

[In case you haven’t been following yet, Will Buswell’s mother was Mary Louisa Davies Buswell, the mother of my mom’s mother.]

Envelope addressed to Mrs. J.M. Buswell, Shindler, SD

Brookings, SD • Mar 5 – 03
Dear Mother,

I received your letter last week. The snow has all gone here and the mud is drying up fast with a heavy south wind. I went to the Methodist Church twice today. I have gone mostly to the Presbyterian as they have a better preacher. The Methodist preacher reads his sermons. The Methodists are going to have a new $20,000 church next year. The Presbyterian church cost as much and the Baptist is a very pricey one.

A good many of the boys are going home now to begin spring work and some of the classes look slim. Tell Fred [his brother] to get some barley ground and feed the mules and lady all they will eat, but not enough so they will leave any. Give them some whole until he can get it ground. He had better get it ground at Park Hobsons.

I have not got along very well with my music as my voice has been more or less hoarse all winter. I have not had much cold but my voice has not been clear. Still I have got some good out of it.

I was in hopes that Mr. Whipple would stay until I came home. I would like to see him and hear him talk of Cuba.

I have finished a pair of tongs and just began to work in steel.

Tell Eva [his sister] that I get plenty to eat here and it is always ready on time. It does not take near as much as it used to for me or any of the boys here. I don’t believe any of us eat half as much as we did the first two weeks.

Tell Fred to hurry up and send me the money if he has not as I want to be sure and have it in plenty of time to go home. If my mules were sold, I would like to stay here a while longer.

Your loving son,
W.J. Buswell

My music teacher is a great one, but not as good as Mr. Indreth.