Letter from J[ohn] M. Vanderbilt to John Muir, 1881 Jul 9.

• Main Author: Vanderbilt, John M.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Scholarly Commons 1881
• Subjects: Environmentalist; naturalist; travel; conservation; national parks; John Muir; history; correspondence; letters; Humpback Whale
• Online Access: https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/663; https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/context/muir-correspondence/article/1662/viewcontent/muir04_0653_md_1.pdf

[1] 01020Steamer [Favorite?] Kilisnoo Alasaka July 9th 1881.Dear Mr MuirYou can understand how surprised we were to receive your letter informing us that you intended sailing on the “Corwin” for the Artic – both my wife and I sincerely trust and pray that you will have a pleasant time and return without delay to your family. I would like very much indeed to make such a trip and can appreciate your feelings in wanting to visit the polar regions – as a summer trip I look upon it as almost similar to a trip through this region of country; in winter why a very different experience. We will watch with deep interest for any news of your movements. We intend to write to your wife by this mail and we sincerely hope that in a measure our words will cheer her. With us here the season has so[Page 2][2]far passed very pleasantly – I have been with [my?] wife & children a few days each month, which time I always look forward to with considerable pleasure. Our health has been good. I am now at our Kilisnoo Post with the steamer where we have established a whaling station, & have at the present time the first whale dead on the beach, it is a humpback whale of about 60 [illegible]. I anticipate a good season, the waters are full of whales, but as we take them at present only in shoal water we will not do much before the end of next month when the whales will begin to run up the lagoons for feed. We have a large s[illegible] coming from Boston with which we will take he[illegible] & convert them into oil, our try works will be located at our store. The season with us has opened very well indeed & I have been very constantly occupied since starting out this spring. The new town of [Harrisburgh?] near the Auck Glacier is progressing finely, it is now a place of sixty or more houses with a wharf and ga[illegible] established by the “I[illegible]” – it is a very quiet[Page 3]2 01020 [3]and peaceful town for a mining camp. Many places claims are doing well and capitalists of San Francisco have taken ahold of quartz ...