Quarto bifolium (ca. x cm. or x in). Brown ink on yellow lined wove paper. Fold marks, but otherwise a very good letter written in a legible hand.

Historically interesting autograph manuscript letter documenting early ranching challenges in Salem (f. in 1842), Oregon.

The author, Virgil Kellog Pringle (ca. 1804-1887), was a Salem pioneer who moved from Missouri to Oregon with his wife and six children in 1846. He engaged in the shoemaking trade in 1851 and later settled on a donation land claim four and a half miles southeast of Salem, where he took up farming. In the late-1870s, he returned to Salem and continued his business ventures until his retirement.

Pringle wrote this letter apparently as an advisor and manager to a Salem landowner John Wilson in 1872. In the text, the author discusses the urgent situation on Wilson’s property and talks about the deteriorating fences, free-roaming livestock, and the immediate need for action. He recommends Wilson to finance crucial repairs, providing detailed cost estimates and timelines for the work. Pringle also emphasizes the income potential from pasturing and suggests that, if repaired, the land could support 20 to 25 head of livestock. In the rest of the letter, the author offers his services for a 20 percent fee and advises Wilson against selling the land in the current poor market.

The letter also features a response from John Wilson (8 January 1843), accepting Virgil’s terms and allowing a 25% commission.

Overall, historically interesting autograph manuscript letter documenting early ranching endeavors in Salem, Oregon.

The text of the letter: “Yours of Dec 17th enclosing check on Ladd + Bush for $20 50/000 the amount of my demand was duly received and is hereby acknowledged.  You ask for information respecting the fence on your land & if stock runs upon it: in answer I would say the east & west sides are prostrate and nothing to hinder anny stock that chooses running on it & quite a number of cattle & horses from Salem have ranged on it the past season. Since receiving your letter I have examined the west fence and made an estimat as well as I coul of putting it in such order as would be necessary for pasturing & think fifteen day work would do it, it will requre about 1000 men – and from what I know of the east fence it will need about the same, if this improv was made the land is capable of pasturing 20 or 25 head of cattle or horses for y or 6 months in or year and I think they could readily be obtained at $1 per month per head. I thought of proposing taking an agency of the place on the following time that I would have the fence repaired and charged 30 20 per cent for my services for making contract collecting money and taking oversight of place the cost of repairing fence to be paid by you from first money occurring from pasturing, plus consider this as preliminary as I wish to make more thorough examination before contracting. You ask what could the land be sold for? I answer that it is verry doutful if you could get in money what you gave for it as there is anny amount of land for sale at low figures and no purchasers. I sold 109 acres wereof the road cast of yours for $10 an acre – payment; it is the general opinion lands will enhance enough to pay for delay in sale. If you should think it adm. is able to put the place in order to use for pasture the earlier it is done to secure the early growth of grass the better. Anny communication on service I can render shall be cheerfully performed. Please write to me at your earliest convenience.
Ans Jan 8/43 accepting his terms provided no responsibility attach to me for loss or damage to stock and allowance 25 % coms”