This letter was sent by Texas Jack Omohundro to the Spirit of the Times magazine in July of 1877.
In Camp On The Sweetwater, WY Territory, July 3, 1877
Dear Spirit,
For the past three weeks I have been out on a hunt with three Englishmen and young Ralston, the banker's son, from San Francisco. We went nearly to the foot of the Big Horn range. I have with me six of the best mountain men in the West, and you bet the Indians steer clear of our outfit. We killed buffalo, bear, elk, deer, and antelope. The Englishmen are pleased to death.
I split my party here: Capt. Bayley and Mr. Birmingham, Englishmen, Boney Ernest, an old hunter, and myself strike out from here due northwest over an unexplored region to the Yellowstone Park. If we make the trip all right it will be a big thing, and the route will be called Texas Jack's new trail to the Government Park. I don't think it will be over 250 miles from here. The rest of our party will hunt in this neighborhood for some ten days, and then go in to the railroad at Rollins, the point we started from in June, under the charge of my old pard Tom Sun (Indian Tom).
If you have any mail for me, forward it to Bottler's Ranche, Yellowstone River, Montana.
I forgot to say that we had a devil of a time getting the bear I spoke of. There were two together, but we could only see one, so I gave Birmingham, one of the Englishmen, the first shot. He killed that bear dead, but the other one raised from some brush and made for us, and you can bet that fellow wasn't long in making for his horse, that I was swinging on to, and he had just time to mount as the bear made a grab. I wheeled my pony and fired and struck him in the body. That turned him back, and we had a lively turn up for a while, but the lad got into some brush and made his escape. The skin is in camp now.
We have seen no Indians so far. Will give you a decent account the next settlement I strike. I have to send this by one of my hunters that has volunteered to risk a trip from here to the railroad, some sixty miles, to take and bring the mail. I will come East again some of these times; if I ever do, great luck.
Yours,
J.B. Omohundro (Texas Jack)
