George town, Colorado. Aug[ust]. 5 /[18]77
Dearest Wife*1 I wrote last (my 6th letter American letter) from Denvers, on the 2nd of this month. (I hope you have got all of the six). We left Denvers 4 days ago by rail for this valley of the Rocky M[ountain]s, which is very lofty and rocky and literally riddled with silver mines which are very productive, besides which there are innumerable gold washings. Nothing in America has appeared to me so remarkable as the way the Anglo-saxon has pushed his way into these Mountains which were infested a few years ago with hostile savages and covered with buffalo -- neither of which, except bones of the latter, have we seen. Here in this city of wooden cabins inhabited chiefly by miners, are no end of bazaars, Churches, shops of all kinds of luxuries; you hire phaetons with splendid horses and harness, to drive literally hundreds of miles by fair roads amongst the mountains over ridges and plains never below 5000ft. and often over 10,000ft. Wages are high, provisions dear but most abundant. This morning I went to see an inventor's instrument for making water boil by sun's rays, and hearing music hard by, I walked over some house roofs and got in through a window into a music-hall about 80ft. square, with a gallery and numbered seats, where a band of amateurs was practising. The Chief justice of the place

was sawing away at the Violincello -- then there was a Pianist, Cornopeon, two violins, Cornet--a--piston, French horn and trombone. They played some delicious Russian Mazourkas and Walzes. We are in a most clean and comfortable boarding house, and I am writing in my bedroom. It is Sunday and a Church is 5 yards from my window and I hear all that goes on; Music is in the ascendant, I cannot say much for the voices ! Colorado has only been admitted as a "State" within a very short period and is now governed by its own state laws; up till now it has been a "Territory" and its laws administered, (or supposed to be) by the Central Gov[ermen]t of the U.S., which means that the territory is allowed to take care of itself, and no questions are asked as to how criminals are punished, and how laws are evaded. Still, bad as such a state of the law is, the necessity for security to life and property compels the better disposed to see that order is kept by lynching the incorrigible and so forth. Here, at this little town, at the extreme finger end of civilisation, the streets are watered better than at Kew; people sleep without locks to their doors, the fire engines are well manned and in capital order, and of food there is no end, though it is too high to raise vegetables or any garden produce! -- all is brought up by train from Denver to within a few miles of the City. The smallpox has been raging in a neighbouring mining village i.e. city, to this, and the authorities sent the beds and bedding of the sick to the Capital City (about 50 houses) to be stored

there for the casual poor; the citizens sent a vigorous remonstrance to the said authorities, who paid no heed, upon which they coolly set fire to the building. The alarm bells were rung, and the fire brigade refused to turn out, and so infection was stamped out by "lynch law"! This is the sort of way matters go on, quite illegally, but in the right direction and in the interests of the community. I fear that as regards law and justice the U.S. are most corrupt, and always will be so for so long as the offices are all given by political patronage and change hands with every new President. We leave this this afternoon and go to Denver for the night, leaving it at 7 tomorrow for Utah and the Salt Lake, whence we go to California. I have already got a very large collection of plants and much information, but it is very hard work indeed. I am never in bed till midnight and up at 5 or 6. We have not suffered seriously from heat, but the dust and dirt are horrible on the railway and in driving or riding. The weather is hottish, dry and clear at these elevations. -- George town is 8400ft. Now dearest I must close. I do long to see you again and stroke your face. I am as anxious to be back as ever you can be -and begin to count the days -- I am also most anxious to hear of you and Willy*2, Charlie*3 and Brian*4. We suppose that the letters are gone to Cheyenne on the Union Pacific line where we shall be tomorrow on our route to Utah. I wonder so much what you are about and where you are and what is going on at Kew. With much love, and regards to all who know me, Ever your most affectionate husband | J.D.Hooker.