ABSTRACT: Letter written by frontier woman Julia Wilder in the Washington Territory.
SCOPE: This letter is written by a woman named Julia Wilder in Selah, Yakima County, Washington. It is addressed to Julia’s parents and dated December 25, 1881. The letter discusses employment, weather, and personal news, providing a glimpse into the life of one family settling on the American frontier.
EXTENT: One letter.
HISTORY: Julia Putnam (1851-1937) was born in Michigan. She married Lucien Wilder (1849-1930), also from Michigan, around 1870. They had a son named Charles, born 1870, and a daughter named Nettie, born 1874. The family traveled west, living in Nevada before settling in Yakima, Washington, where they worked as farmers.
ACCESS: This collection can be viewed on-site in the Rare Book and Manuscripts Reading Room. Some of the material may be photocopied, digitally scanned or photographed, subject to condition and other access restrictions. Information on conducting research with the archival collections of the Library, including current building hours and reading room policies, can be found on our Research page. The St. Louis Mercantile Library is located on levels one and two of the Thomas Jefferson Library building on the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ north campus.
Preferred Citation note: The preferred citation for this collection is “From the Special Collections of the St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri – St. Louis."
