June 7, 1914

Miss Gladys Bower
Seattle, Wash.

My Dear Daughter Gladys:

I have just received your letter of May 18. I am in Ruby now had to make a business trip. I got here the eve of the 5th and will leave tomorrow again for the Creeks. I told you a great deal in my last letter about our ditch, well a little more about it now. We had quite a time with it had to work 1 24 hr shift on it but we conquered it at last and put up our sluice boxes to start shoveling in and what do you think! We found our bedrock drain frozen solid it is about 1000 ft long. The creek galvanized up so bad this winter that it backed the water up in the bedrock drain and it of course froze solid and it is a blind drain (a blind drain is one that is covered up. In fact there is 6 to 8 ft of tailings on top of it) and it is both impossible to thaw it out or dig it out. The only thing we could do is to dig another one. Will take perhaps a week so I guess they will be shoveling in the sluice boxes by the time I get back. It takes two days to make the trip. The trail is in awful shape. I was awful tired when I got to town. I left the claim at noon Friday and only went to Discovery Long Creek. 10 miles so the next day I had to make 30 miles but going out I will only go 20 miles each day. I was down to the fish camp where I have my dogs to see them and I thought they were going to eat me up. They were so glad to see me. They just barked and raised --- when I left. They are just as fat as pigs and have a fine place. I just received a letter from Belle with yours. While quite interesting to me I don't know as there is anything in it that would interest you that you don't know as she said you and Florence write each other every week and says she certainly expects to see you and I this fall and I hope she will not be disappointed. I suppose that fat check you spoke about in the letter before the last one is about exhausted by this time. I should send you some money if I thought you needed it real bad but if I did I would have to borrow it and pay 2% per month interest on it so I will wait until we get some claimed up will perhaps be a month yet before I can send it without borrowing if I get a letter from you before asking for some money I will send it but I will not borrow any unless I do. You know it is an awful long time to be without any income from Sep 1st to probably June 15 but I think we will be able to work until Oct 1st this year as we have or think we have the ground sluiced down low enough so it will thaw the bedrock on enough to keep us going until then. You know the ground is thawed generally we can sluice as long as the water runs. I told you all about how we are getting along in my last letter. I think it was dated of June 1st so I will only say we are getting along better than we expected. Except the trouble with our bedrock drain & judge by your letter that you will surely be glad when your term of school is over. Well I used to be very glad also and our terms only lasted 6 months and I was equally as glad when school began again. How long does it or will it take Mary to graduate from the normal school? I just imagine what a good time you had at Lucy's. 15 of you at one time reminds of the days when the county fairs are on at home. I don't know if they still have them or not. That was the time of year everybody went visiting and what houses full of people there would be first at our house and then another for about a month. I also note with pleasure your description of the party given by the Girls Club to the senior girls. Being initiated in a Sunday School sounds funny to me. I never heard of a Sunday school that had an initiatory ceremony before but I guess I am away behind the times. There is two churches here in Ruby. Catholic and Presbyterian. As I have written all I can think of at present I will close hoping you will excuse bum writing and etc. And keep writing so prompt.

With love to you all I remain as ever your loving father

          1. J. Bower

p.s. will write again as soon as I get back to the creeks. B