506. 1852 GOLD RUSH LETTER Fine mining content A.L.S. froma miner who, with his partner, are working hard to find their fortune in gold,3pp.4to., Woods Diggins, Apr. 14, 1852. Rodney P. Odall writes to his parents,in part: "...This wonderful country of innate riches is not rich ingoodness...I got the first letter from you yesterday...A letter is worth itsweight in Gold just to cheer one's heart...Here we have no place to go and hearHis words, except should we go to Sonora, 10 miles...I have had the Ague...Mypartner is quite in years, say 40 odd. He is kind, no hard words escape hislips...seems to like me as a Brother...We have not made anything yet, but theprospect is we shall before long...I live in what is called the Southern Mines.All agree that they are the most healthy. Fresh meat will hang in a stall twotimes as long and not spoil...Pork that we get is very sweet and good...I havejust finished a wheel to raise water on the bank of the river. It is 8 feet highand 4 long. It cost me 2 weeks work and 8 dollars in cash for nails and cloth.My partner has been digging all the time and throwing up dirt for to wash. Ithink we have got 2000 buckets now ready to wash...It will pay about 2 cts abucket...There is a great seal of black sand in it...I looks just like gunpowderand is heavy like iron...It is very hard to pan it out of the gold...".Small hole from opening at wax seal, else very good condition. $250- 350