A Bit of a Dust-Up in Union: The Case of the Skinny Calves

“I tell you my cattle did not do as well as the ones I had in the range at 50 cts pr head for 6 months”

Pull up a chair, friends. I’ve got a little piece of Union, West Virginia history to share today. It’s a two-page letter from 1885, written by a fellow named S. C. Peters to a Mr. Laben Guinn. The paper is yellowed and brittle now, with rough edges that look like they were torn straight out of a notebook in a hurry. You can almost see Mr. Peters hunched over his desk, his black ink flowing in a hasty, looping cursive as he lets out a bit of his frustration. This isn’t a grand proclamation; it’s a neighborly dispute about money, “medows land,” and “pastuer.”

Mr. Peters was clearly a bit miffed about a bill he received for pasturing his cattle. He claims he already paid his share and that a Mr. Maxwell is the one who really owes the money. To hear Peters tell it, Maxwell hadn’t been behaving very well regarding the deed to the land either. But the real kicker for Peters was the price. Mr. Guinn was asking for $1.25 a month per head of cattle, but Peters knew he could get pasture for 50 cents back in his own neighborhood. What really stung was that his yearlings didn’t even look that good after their stay on Guinn’s land! They weren’t nearly as healthy as the ones he kept on the cheaper range.

Looking at this letter today, it reminds us that while the world changes, human nature stays pretty much the same. People have always looked for a fair deal and felt a pinch in their pockets when things didn’t go as planned. It’s a humble reminder that history is built on these small, everyday moments—disagreements over livestock, the price of grass, and the importance of a man’s word. It connects us to the grit and the daily grind of those who walked these hills over a century ago.

Original Transcription

Union W Va Nov 16 / 85-
Mr Laben Guinn
Dear Sir
I received your letter in
regard to the postuering of
the medows land I paid
for one half of that land
on the 21 day of march last and
the other half on the 29 day of
May and Mr Maxwell told
me he had proided for it at
that time he has treated me
badly about the deed to that land
I got the deed with a venders lean
for you of about $700 00 retaind
I will write to Mr Maxwell abot
your part of the pastuer he is
the man that ought to pay you
but you are rong in your charge
of @ $1 25 pr month on the head
I had yearling calves on that
place and I can get them pastured
in my own neighborhood ^at 50 cents
pr head and I tell you my
cattle did not do as well as the
ones I had in the range at 50 cts
pr head for 6 months I will write
to Maxwell about it and one or
the other of us will have it to pay
but if I have it to pay I will not
pay over 50 cents pr month
Yours Respectfully S C Peters