ABSTRACT
The Stewart family were relatives of the Smillie family (see the Smillie Family letters in Volume 3), and they lived together in Eugene, Lane County, Oregon. These letters from Jannet Stewart are written to her sister and describe both families’ arduous, near-fatal journeys to Oregon and the opportunities in this part of the country. She remarks that Oregon’s climate resembles that of Scotland, and that ‘extravagant descriptions’ drew them there. They may have been surprised by the harsh and simple conditions they had to endure in the far West. The difficulties of living in an undeveloped land are clear in the 7 May letter. And the reference to the war and that ‘I do not think that peace will ever be permanent until the land is cleansed of that abominable curse, Slavery’, is typical of many immigrants’ attitudes. Large portions of the original letters were underlined for emphasis, but that has not been retained here.
