Letter from Artemus J. Mathewson to Samuel B. Reed, April 12, 1865

In this letter from April 12, 1865, Artemus J. Mathewson writes to Samuel Reed following a return from a trip to New York . He states that "the committees had not met and dissolved and others had met & they were meeting nearly every day." He discusses some survey maps and profiles he presented to them and repeatedly asks Reed come visit him, seeming anxious to discuss the matter in person. Mathewson rewrote and extended this letter the next day.


Illinois & Michigan Canal Office,
Superintendent's Office,

S.B. Reed
Div. Eng. Utah Div.
U.P.R.R. — Joliet

Dear Sir.

Arrived home last Sunday night at 11. o'clock, tired, disgusted, but happy to once more reach our dear humble home in Illinois.

Left N. YouFriday morning last, just in time to reach Chi. in time to stop there all day Sunday.

Well, we are here now, and found our family all well.

Brot [sic] your foot scale, drawing pen, and dividers — the latter all fixed up. The point of the dividers, if you recollect, was broken off. Have fixed them all nice since our arrival. The points are now very good.

Can you come up one day this week and see me? I am pretty busy or I would have been down there to see you. Brot [sic] the general map of Utah Lake, and all other sketches which I thought you would need. Come up. The [sic] sent no papers by me to you for the [sic] had not arranged every thing pertaining to the service. The committees had not met and dissolved and others had met & they were meeting nearly every day. They had sent for Evans, and he had been back there two or three days before I left.

Made them a tracing on cloth of the whole map of surveys last season. Shaded your profiles after they had been all tacked up round on the N. & E. side of our office. Evans' and Case's were put up on the partition. They all looked better and gave satisfaction.

Shaded the timber, and made the desert on both the maps.

Come up Mr. Reed, and see me. I would like to get down there and see you, and shall unless you come up to see me. But I am in want of time.

Rem. me to all your family. Yours very truly.
A.J. Mathewson

1-2-46-16 Apl 12 1865 A.[J.] Mathewson

About this Document

  • Source: Letter from Artemus J. Mathewson to Samuel B. Reed
  • Extent: 2 pages
  • Citation: Special Collections, University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City, Iowa, Papers of Levi O. Leonard, Box 26, Folder: "Samuel Benedict Reed Correspondence: 1860-1865"
  • Date: April 12, 1865