Title: Letter from William F. Cody to George T. Beck
Date: April 6, 1896
Author: Cody, William Frederick, 1846-1917
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W. E. Woolley.
H. M. Gerrans.
Iroquois
Absolutely Fire Proof.
Also Propr's of the Grand Union Hotel.
Saratoga Springs,
N. Y.
Buffalo, N. Y.
Apr 6th 1896 [1]
My Dear George—
I was in Chicago three days— The Colony
[2] is to leave there the 15th I fixed up a contract with Nagle Bro.
[3] which I have shown to our Co here— they seem to think Nagles should not take out their whole commission the first payment of lands but said to let it go— As Nagle
[4] is to give a bond of $10,000. But Nagle said he was agreeable to leave his commissions up to $10,000 in our hands as a guarantee of good faith. He wanted $300 per month for office & advertiseing expenses— I suggested 250— our friends here think
its to high when you sign his contract try and get it down to $200 per month— The first colony pay 10% cash on first payment— but after this first colony every body must pay 20% as first payment. We will arrange to send Alger tomorrow $7500. that ought to fix us till May 10th. I told Frank Grouard to send you some big teams to work on the graders. Say George— the ditch wont have to be so large after it leaves our Town site will it. as it wont be more than two big latterals and those graders s--h should finish those up in short
order. Why George— Goodman dont seem to worry a little bit at digging a ditch sixteen foot wide on the bottom with a Grader— And he builds several miles in a week. I cant for the life of me see how our work costs so much let me know how the Graders work—
When do you return our people here are anxious to know if you have filed on the Placer Fields [5] & want me to send Stumps [6] experts out at once— are you ready for them.
Your friend
W. F. Cody
W. E. Woolley.
H. M. Gerrans.
Iroquois
Absolutely Fire Proof.
Also Propr's of the Grand Union Hotel.
Saratoga Springs,
N. Y.
Buffalo, N. Y.
_________ 189__
P. S. Hymer drew on me for $200 to day. I did not acknowledge it.
I told him to make out his bill. that it would then go before a regular meeting & if approoved it would be paid Please attend to it—
Bill
Note 1: On Monday, April 6, 1896, Buffalo Bill's Wild West began preparations for the opening of the 1896 season in Philadelphia on Saturday, April 18th. [back]
Note 2: "The Colony" refers to the group of fifty or so German migrant families who chose to settle in the Big Horn Basin because of promotions made by S. V. Nagle, an agent of the Chicago firm of F. A. Nagle Commission Merchants. [back]
Note 3: "Nagle Bro." refers to F. A. Nagle and S. V. Nagle of the Chicago firm of F. A. Nagle Commission Merchants, who attempted to recruit settlers to the lands to be irrigated by the Cody Canal. [back]
Note 4: S. V. Nagle, agent of the Chicago firm of F. A. Nagle Commission Merchants, was the primary agent for the German migrant families coming to settle in the Big Horn Basin. [back]
Note 5: "Placer Fields" may refer to one of several mineral claims filed by Beck around the Cody area on behalf of Cody and other members of Shoshone Irrigation Company. [back]
Note 6: "Stump" or "Stumps" is not identified. [back]
Title: Letter from William F. Cody to George T. Beck
Source: University of Wyoming, American Heritage Center, Buffalo Bill Letters to George T. Beck (Acc. #9972), ah031326-29
Date: April 6, 1896
Author: Cody, William Frederick, 1846-1917
Topic: Buffalo Bill's Wyoming
People: Beck, George Washington Thornton, 1856-1943 Nagle, F. A. Nagle, S. V. Grouard, Frank, 1850-1905 Hymer, William Ebert, 1853-1933
Sponsor: Supported in part by a grant from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, a program of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources.
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