Galatin City
					             Galatin County, Montana
					             May 6, 1873

To John Biard Brockmire

Dear Brother
	    It has been some time since I have heard from you, though I have wrote you 
once since I have heard from you.  But we are so far apart it is not strange that
some letters get lost.  So long as I can hear that you are all well once in a while
I feel satisfied.
	    There is not much for me to write this time, only to say I am well.  In fact
it is a thing unknown to me to be sick.  In the last 6 years I have not seen a day
of sickness.  And I think there has not been a single case of sickness in this country
in my knowledge that is disease contracted.  In this country there never was any 
fevers of anything of that kind here.  That comes from the altitude.  It is some 
thousands of feet above the sea.  The air is so light and pure that meat will not 
spoil when hung up put of doors for days and even weeks.
	    We have a great many advantages here that you have not in your thickly settled 
country.  We can go some ten miles from home and kill antelope, deer and elk.  And 
by going some thirty miles, we can kill plenty of buffalo, not that there is any need, 
easily.  For there is an unlimited amount of tame cattle in the country.  We can buy 
cows for 25 dollars and other stock in proportion.  This is the 6th of May and the 
grass is near 4 inches long.
	    The only thing that troubles farmers in this country is they can't sell their 
crops for as much as they could in the early days.  They used to get 50 cents a pound
for potatoes and flour was a dollar a pound.  But that was when nobody farm.  They 
were all crazy after gold mines.  Now the country is settled up and there is a many 
more farmers than consumers and the consequence is things have come down.  Terribly.  
Potatoes are only worth 5 cents a pound and flour is 2.50 a sack or 5 dollars a barrel.
Oats are worth 75 cents a pound.  You know how everything goes by weight out here.  And
I think it is a much more honest way of dealing.  Selling by measure.
	    You must let me know how, if you make any discoveries in regard to Henry 
Brockmire.  Of the man in St Louis though, I have not any hopes of him being the same 
man.  I am not but 6 days ride on horse back from Salt Lake and I know all about the 
times there was in this country and Salt Lake too.  And am convinced that Henry is 
dead or killed.  There were terrible times in that section about the time he was there.
Murder was as common as a sermon on a Sabbath morning in the States.
     Now you need not anticipate hearing anything of him though I thought I might like
to hear something of your St Louis man.
	    Give my love to your wife and child.
			       No more at this time
			            From your loving brother

					                  W Brockmire