Chapter Text
Dear Sara,
As you might remember, dear sister, I was working as a seamstress when I lived in New York City. Well, one day, a foreigner came in, having ripped one of his few pairs of trousers coming on to the port; well he turned out to be Conor Alsop. Despite our differences and his occasional funny way of speaking, I quickly fell deeply in love and just as quickly married him. Conor came to America eager to start a new life and likely too easily convinced me to move out west to become a farmer and missionary, spreading the word of God to the people there.
The journey to Colorado was difficult. I found it incredibly challenging due to the harsh weather conditions and the difficulties we faced in keeping our belongings on the wagon. Despite these obstacles, we persevered, and when we finally arrived, we were sadly met with even more challenges. We had to live in a sod house, which was damp and dark, and often I struggled to keep bugs and lice from our chambers. On top of that, we struggled to grow crops in Colorado's dry, unforgiving weather.
However, Conor and I were determined to make the best of our new home. We worked tirelessly to adapt to our surroundings and eventually figured out the most effective way to farm. We started a family with three beautiful children and continued to work the land despite our constant challenges.
Unfortunately, with the increasing number of people moving to Colorado with the same dream of homesteading and the growth of commercial farms, Conor and my dream became unaffordable. We were forced to sell our beloved little Homestead and move into the nearby growing city of Denver, Colorado.
Once we moved to Denver, Conor and I worked to help start a church called Middle Grove, and it's a lovely little place if I do say myself. Conor took a job working at a steel mill only because he refused to work for those "robber barons" who owned the railroads, and he often raved about how they forced us back into urban living. I've taken a job as a seamstress once again, and I can't say I missed it too much. It's strange living in a proper city again, though, with modern advances, it is much different than when I was living in New York. There are things I miss from my Homestead, though: the clean water and fresh air, how quiet it was, just the noise of our animals and the wind most days. I had forgotten how dirty and loud living in a city was. I had also forgotten how awful it is to see so many around me struggle; I'm glad that Middle Grove recently joined in an effort called the settlement house movement and has helped build daycares and libraries. I'm not ashamed to say I have sent my youngest daughter, Darlene, to one of the daycares a few times myself. I wonder, Sara, are there efforts going on where you live as well? I would love to hear about your family and how teaching at that little schoolhouse is going with all the advancements in education going around. It is getting late, and I must get supper on. I do hope you are well and that God is with you.
Love,
Jane Alsop