My Ever Dear Charlie : Letters Home from the Dakota Territory

The Draper Family Trust has protected the letters, photographs, and sketches that illustrate the life of Fannie Draper, a woman who braved homesteading alone with her children in the wild Dakota Territory, for more than one hundred years. Now, for the first time, this delightful correspondence is being made available in print.

Theodore, Sept. 10, 1886

My Ever Dear Charlie:

When I want to write, some one else has the ink. Pa is now using it. and as he will tell you what our mule trade (I was with him yesterday) amounted to, I will pass it over. Brumberg had a nice cow that I should like to have gotten and if he can only raise the money I believe he will come to our terms and willingly. Our children began their studies with eager interest on Monday knowing the Lebanon school commenced then, and they were full of talk concerning what other children of their acquaintance might be doing at that time. They have kepti it up nicely this week and are now out having a recess. Emma is asleep. Pa in tent writing and poor Joe almost helpless with lame back. He wrenched his back some way just in picking up loose hay and throwing it in to the wagon. Probably has taken some cold also. he wanted to haulf for plastering but I presume wont be able before Monday any how. Jodie wanted him to go to Bowdle and help him drive steer tomorrow but I suppose he will hardly be able. I lent Jodie $1.40 a few days ago but I suppose he will return it when he gets money. If he gets money from home today he will not go away tomorrow. I feel real sorry for Jodie--and the boy is ragged too. I mended his pants while on him this morning and put on a button for him before he went to Cookingham's.

Taking care of the milk is quite a "diversion" for me. It is a pleasure. I have washed parts of two days this week not being quite able to put in full days and do other work satisfactorily. I am getting the work arranged more and more systematically all the time and it is becoming more pleasnat. The window keep out more of the diret and our house is quite comfortable even mornings and evenings. Still we must get the other stove when we can. Yesterday, I went into Mrs. Brumberg's house and things were in such an awful condition that it made our own little sod house feel more like home than ever and I was glad to get back to it. Mr. McCleveland told me a day or two since that his wife talked every day of coming down but different things hindered her. The children have been off gaterhing stones and found some rather pretty ones. They all seem happy and contented. It seems to me that Arthur ought to have some other study this winter to take the place of Physical Geography, which I think he can get through by that time.