Hand-written letters/notes – possibly written by Halie Hamblin? the sister of John Hamlin [Frank B. Hamlin’s father, thus Frank’s aunt]

Arroyo Seco Cala [California]

Oct 10th 1878

Aunt Mary

I have been a reader of the American Young Folks since last February. It is sent to me by my Grandma who lives at McPherson Iowa and I would like to thank her through this column of your paper for I know she is a reader of it. My parents came to Cala [California] from Kansas three years ago. At present we are living on a stock ranch about 30 miles south east from the city of San Luis Obispo. This ranch contains about 30.000 acres. The land in this part of the county is all owned in large tracts or grants. Consequently it is very thinly settled our nearest school is nearly 10 miles away and over two mountain ridges making it impossible for one to go. But my parents teach me at home. We live in a beautiful valley. Surrounded by mountains

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San Luis Obispo Co Cal

This county is bounded on the north by Monterey last by Kern. South by Santa Barbara and west by the Pacific Ocean. It is seventy five miles long. Its breadth will average 60 miles
The population is 9.000. The principal town is San Luis Obispo which is a mission founded on the 1st of Sept 1772 by Father Serra assisted by Father Joseph [Jose] Caballor [Cavaller]. They then blessed and put in place the Holy Cross then they suspended a bell to the limb of a sycamore tree

And thus was founded the mission of San Luis Obispo in a short time a church was erected and the same bell that was suspended from the sycamore limb 106 years ago is still in use at the church at the early settling of this country grizzly bears roamed over the hills and valleys in such numbers that they seemed like bands of cattle

Soldiers

Soldiers were sent to exterminate them. The Indians were greatfull for this act for they had severely suffered from the ferocity of these animals San Luis Obispo soon became a flourishing mission. Schools were established and the Indians instructed in the mechanical arts and so it remained until 1867 when it was surrounded by U. S. Government since that time is has been improving and at present is a flourishing town, containing about 2.500 inhabitants the e other towns are Cambria, Cayucos, Morro Suilta [Suelta] and Arroyo Grand.