This is a letter from George Schenk to Mary dated April 29, 1897, while he was living in Belt, Montana – several years before they married.  Spelling, punctuation and capitalization are as seen in the original letter, except for edits I made as necessary to clarify meaning.

Belt   Apr. 29/97

My Dearest Mary,

I received your kind and loving letter Tuesday and was glad to hear from you.  It is not as it used to be sence I am down here.  I can’t see you every day now.  But that sweet face I never shall forget. 

Mary, I guess you think I am having a great old time down here with the girls the way you rote that letter but you are mistaken if you think I am.  Thair are a lot of girls in the Coulee and the same in Belt[1].  But there is none of them for me.  I met a few girls that I know before and that all I care to know.  I am not looking for fun.  Now days I know a few marryed women that comes over to see Edith[2] and one of them told me I was an awful quiet boy.  If I was like the rest of the kids in this town, I would be run [illegible] it.  There is a lot of them drunk every day. 

Mary, I heard a song the other night that made the tears come to my eyes.  It put me in mind of the day I left when you were sitting in the dining room with your head down.  I only know a few lines of the chorus.  It goes – “Say good by, do not cry when your lovers gone.”  I am going to try and get it.  If I do, I will send it to you. 

I and Dave are batching[3] now.  Edith is gone over to visit Emma[4] so we are alone.  I am the cook.  I cooked hot cakes this morning but not like I did up in Marysville.  That stay I tryed to cook them on the floor. 

I am not working yet but I got the [illegible] of the first show from two different bosses on the outside.  I am not looking for work on the inside.  There are about four men hurt in thair every week.  One got killed two days after I got here.  I knowed him well and four besides him got hurt in the next two days so it is not a safe mine to work in.  I did not come down here to get killed so I am going to keep out of it and don’t you forget it.  I think I will soon get work on the outside now.  If I don’t get work for two or 3 weeks yet, it won’t hurt to wait awhile.

Mary, you say that Hagenson barn and horse got burnt.  I feel sorry for the horse but if the whole family would of been in the barn, I would not open the door to let them out.  I would hold it shut first. 

What was that trick Rose played on Hurb [Herb]?    XXX

Notes:

[1] “Coulee” is short for “Sand Coulee”.  Sand Coulee and Belt are located in Cascade County, southeast of Great Falls, Montana.  Based on a small amount of research, it seems most likely that George was in the area looking for work relating to the coal mines.  Apparently George had lived and worked in Sand Coulee previously, as there is a photograph in Mary’s collection dated 1891.  If the date on the back of the photo is correct, George would have been about 14 years old at the time, although he looks a little younger than that to me.  He is in the front row, 3rd from the left (sitting on his knees).

The back of the photo reads:

Geo. Schenk was water carrier for the men
Sand Coulee Mule Barn
Montana
1891

[2] “Edith” was one of George’s sisters.

[3] “[B]atching” is short for “bachelors”.

[4] “Emma” was another one of George’s sisters.