Tornado and Celebrating Independence Day in Kansas

Autograph Letter Signed by S. Keiffer, 4pp quarto, July 5, 1859, McCamish, Kansas, addressed to J.B. Ward of Hendryburg, Ohio, and reads in part: "...in reference to the lot of land that you were looking at near our town. I went and saw Mr. Steward & conversed with him on the subject & informed or offered him the amount you thought of giving, he said he would give me an answer in tow or three weeks. He came to me and told me he must have 8 hundred dollars & you preempt it would make 10 hundred dollars. I informed him that I could not buy it, he has sold it since for 8 hundred dollars & a term of warrant…on the night of the 19 of June this country was visited with a most terrific storm, doing considerable damage. Some three or four dwelling houses were blown down but no material injury done to the inmates. We had our share with the rest of the sufferers. We were about making preparations to go to bed when the storm commenced. We became what alarmed at such a strong wind and while we were there conversing our cabin had to yield obedience to the strong arm of the northwester & was left without a covering except the open floor which by the by was middling tight which sheltered us from the storm…There was a house near Jamesfield that blew down & the inmates man, wife & child were left without a thing to cover them except their night clothes & in their condition they had to come about ½ mile to Pickering Hotel. Their house a small frame was all torn to small fragment and scattered over the Prairie. There is a great loss where there is no gain, the houses in country or a majority of them are so small that if they do fall it would not be likely to hurt anyone much…The health of our country is very good at time, yesterday the 4th was a high day at Union Town. It was a appointed as a day for all the sunday schools in the neighbor town to meet & celebrated the American independence. You might think it would be a small business to think of having such a thing away out here in Kansas, but my dear Bro it was not so small after all taking the whole into consideration…we suppose there was about five hundred persons present & the people seemed to be very thoughtful too. The came after the fashion of the country with their fine fat oxen & wagons & in their wagons among their nice things, Ladies & gentleman I mean, a large basket in wash tub full of roast chicken, sweet cakes & pies…After the reading of the Declaration of Independence by my first born son Rev. Dr. Buck recently of Cincinnati Ohio was selected to deliver an address to the Sabbath schools, were introduced he made a fine speech. Dr. Brown of Union Town made a speech on independence, also Pusy Graver of Illinois & last of all the Rev Starr a Baptist minister from Ohio, at one time a pastor of the church at Morristown…Very encouraging news from Pikes Peak. Horace Greely has bought a claim & is digging gold - a very large emigration is coming into Kansas this season…" Fine condition.