Ard Godfrey

Title: Letter to His Wife
Type: Letter
Date: 1863
Source: Minnesota Historical Society

Description: Ard Godfrey wrote to his wife from a gold mining expedition in the West.
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Activities:

1. While he was out West, what skills was Godfrey relying on to make money?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: The letter says that he was working on a sawmill which tells us he was using his milling skills. is being worn is another.
2. What in his letter shows that Godfrey isn't completely convinced that his gold-mining expedition will work out as well as he'd hoped?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: He mentions that some people get a lot of gold out of one pan of dirt, and some take weeks to get any gold from their claim.
3. Why would Godfrey being out West mean that his son wouldn't become a soldier during the Civil War?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: By being away from home, Godfrey was able to make sure that his oldest sonwould be allowed to stay home to behead of the family and not have to goto the war.
4. If Godfrey already had a sawmill at St. Anthony, why do you think he left his family and went west?
   
   
   
   
   Answer: Godfrey's mill at St. Anthony was closed by this time. He had gone west looking for ways to make money. He not only did more work there with sawmills but also tried looking for gold as well.