This collection contains 6 letters related to Joshua and Mary Cowell of Meridian, New York. William Cowell, Joshua's brother, wrote a letter to the Cowell family with family news from his home in Denver, Colorado, on February 26, 1867. The next 4 letters, from Joshua to Mary Cowell, pertain to Joshua's work in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Denver, Colorado, from September 6, [1867]-March 28, 1869. He discussed the rough nature of Cheyenne's residents, casualties after a recent gunfight, and differences between Cheyenne and Denver, particularly regarding the availability of lodgings and board. He also reported on a failed meeting between whites and Native Americans and described his life and finances in Denver. The final item is an undated letter to the Cowell family from Martha Wilson in Denver, Colorado, with news of local acquaintances and of the town's recent growth, exemplified by the founding of a newspaper and plans to construct a hotel.
Joshua Cowell was born in New York around 1820 and was a farmer in Fulton, Wisconsin, in 1860. He and his wife Mary had four children, all born in New York: Albert, Chancy (or Chauncey), Anna, and Emma. In the late 1860s, Joshua Cowell sought work in Denver, Colorado, and Cheyenne, Wyoming, then part of the Dakota Territory. Mary and her children lived in Meridian, New York, while Joshua was away. He returned to New York before 1880 and was a laborer in Cato. William Cowell, Joshua's brother, owned a grocery store in Denver.
