History at a Glance

Aron Collins left Indiana for the West Coast in the spring of 1853. This story is from the first letter he wrote back home to his brother on Dec. 8, 1853.

"I take my pen in hand to inform you that we are well and hope these few lines may find you all enjoying the same blessing. I arrived in San Francisco on the first of June. We had a very pleasant trip except crossing the isthmus of Panama was somewhat interesting. Particularly from Crusez to Panama on mules. There was near one thousand persons on mules, what time they could stay on. Climbing up and down the mountains some of the ladies got t...