My letter was about a man explaining how he made his way in the west with a small amount of money, and how he built himself a comfortable life from almost nothing.

What stands out to me the most is the way the man explains the actual "American Dream". Most of what we have read is about how terrible the west was and there haven't been many positives. I thought this was a nice change as it talked about how great the west was and how with a little effort and careful planning he changed his life.

There were no cell phones, or emails. The only way of communication was telegraph and letters. No one is going to send a telegraph to a loved one, so a letter was the only way of communication. It was important in the West because many people left their families for the new opportunities in the West, so many people missed their loved ones a letter was the only way to keep in touch.


http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award98/nbhihtml/pshome.html