[ALASKA - NOME GOLD RUSH: Autograph Letter Signed "Edwin" from Sherzer to his Fiancé Clara Miller in St. Louis MO. Dated Nov. 1, 1900. Sherzer]. by SHERZER, Edwin B - 1900

Nome, Alaska, 1900. Letter. Very Good. No Binding. 8vo - over 7¾ - 9¾" tall. Nome, Alaska, Nov. 1, 1900. With 6 1/2 large octavo pages of text on rectos in dark brown ink on beige thin wove paper (20 - 25 lines per page), with the last sheet having half the verso filled in pencil. Letter accompanied by addressed & stamped envelope, postmarked Nome, AK, Nov. 2 1900. Paper with some very mild age toning but overall letter and envelope in very good original condition. Missouri natives Sherzer and his brother were two of Nome's first postal workers and also operated a dog sledding business in Nome. In this interesting content rich letter from the first year of the Gold Rush in Nome, Sherzer describes his everyday life in Nome to his Fiancé and also in detail his dog sledding business: "We have had lots of snow and everything is on runners and everybody riding. There was a fine trail made on the river in front of our cabin and we called it the race course. The dogs would simply fly over it and we were sitting back on the sled had great fun.., you see women all wrapped up in furs seated in a basket sled with a team of 5 or 6 dogs running along with them. I have found it fine sport, but brother says just wait till you get out on the trail and it is work, then you won't enjoy it so much.., We have both been working in the Post Office but that only lasted until Nov. 1. However, we would not have stayed anyway as we have our assessment work to do before January and we can also make more money with our dog team. Four or five persons have tried to buy the dogs from us already and one fellow wanted to hire them but we wouldn't let any of them go as we have a fine team and have not been keeping them all summer for nothing.".