Consisting of: Three letters. Sent from Kahului, Maui by a man named McKinney to his brother in Vermont: The first is not dated, but a reading dates to December 1879. It is one folded piece, which reads as 4 pages. The second is dated February 13th 1880. It is one folded piece, which reads as 3 pages. The three letters together make 11 pages. CONDITION: The letters are legible and the pages are intact. All of the letters have splits along the folds, but other-wise are in acceptable condition. Postal Cover: The envelope doesn’t quite match the letters date wise. It is postmarked three times, Honolulu May 8 1880. Then SF, then VT. It is from John to Arthur McKinney CONDITION: There are no stamps. Photo: There is a mounted photo of John McKinney, according to pencil verso notation. NEWSPAPER CLIPPING: Message from Arthur (letters recipient) eloquently thanking soldiers in Washington state for caring for the remains of John McKinney. Here is a summary of the content of the letters: McKinney came to Honolulu from California, apparently on holiday. In California he farmed, and he also indicates he had Railroad building experience. The letter describes it as narrow gauge wood! (Possibly the process of building the first railroad in the islands was stalled on account of the original superintendent’s failure to perform the work) The track was intended to transport sugar cane. McKinney was able to do the engineering, grade and lay the material already on hand, reporting that within two weeks after his arrival there, the cars were operational. He goes on to describe some of the particular construction details. He also describes his fascination with the particulars of the natural environment of Maui. As the letters conclude, he’s waiting for more supplies to come around the horn, and enjoying exploration of Maui, claiming his work there was the best job he’d ever had. I haven’t cross checked the passenger lists to see how long he stayed, but I don’t think it was indefinite. The newspaper clipping gives a date and place of death- as a soldier in Washington state in 1898. Letters : 3 at 8″ x 10″ ea. Cover: 6″ x 3 1/4″ Photo: 4″ x 2 1/2″ Condition; as noted above, and photos. PLEDGE : We take pride in our merchandise, and carefully package each item so that you have the best chance of receiving your items without damage. We try to stay’green’ and package with recycled materials when available. The item “LOT Incl 3 Letters First Hawaii Railroad at Kahului Wailuku First Person Account” is in sale since Tuesday, January 26, 2016. This item is in the category “Collectibles\Paper\Correspondence\Pre-1900″. The seller is “karma7959″ and is located in Kirkland, Washington. This item can be shipped worldwide.