Dear Mary,
I am very much ashamed of myself for not answering your very fine letter of a month or so ago much sooner. I surely enjoyed it very much and so did all of the other members of the family to whom I showed it. You certainly write a very interesting and informative letter and I wish I had that ability. But I lead a very hum-drum and drat kind of life and don't have much of interest to write about.
I don't know whether or not I told you but Harriette's son Paul [Eveleth] also passed away on Good Friday, Feb. 27th. He had been ailing but seemed quite good. The doctor said it was a coronary; guess he just couldn't survive without his mother to look after him.
The rest of us around here are fairly good, although suffering from ordinary aches and pains of old age, but nothing serious. I am sending some snapshots to show you how old and ancient we are all getting. It seems odd that up here most of this branch of the Hogan family always seem to have a glass in their hand, but I am sure that you will understand that it is only water or lemonade.
Suppose you have been terribly busy up to this time with income tax business and hope things are easing up for you. Up here we are in kind of a depression. Our main industries are lumber, plywood, shingles, and paper and pulpmilk, and these are all very stagnant and there is a lot of unemployment and complaining about business. Think we will have to elect a Democratic president next time as Nixon don't seem to accomplish much towards getting the country back on it's feet.
We are having a little oil activity here now. The Shell Co. is drilling a series of 14 wells here for exploratory purposes. Two of them have been on our land they have leased from us. When they finish those mapping wells to a depth of 1500 feet they will then drill a deep one and try to get production. This is a hard country to geologize as the land is heavily covered with trees and brush and they can't get any surface exposure to locate a structure. Your father's good friend and eminent geologist Irvin Stewart always claimed that this was going to be great oil country and hope he was right. Do you know if he passed away or is still alive?
My sisters Ima and Mildred both live in Portland and when I told them I was writing you they told me to tell you they would be delighted if you and Helen could or would come up and visit them this summer or whenever you could get away. It might be quite a change for you to see this country. It doesn't rain all of the time but is a kind of beautiful green country. You might also get a kick out of seeing and meeting some of your not so illustrious relatives and I know we would all be happy to see you.
I suppose you, like all of us, were very excited about the safe return of those three astronauts. I thought that was the most marvelous thing that every happened. I hope now they cut it out and spend billions for a more worthwhile purpose. Wish you would write me again when you get the time. Surely love to hear about you and the rest of the folks and I think you write a wonderful letter.
With love,
Gerald.
[Gerald was born in 1889 in Chippewa Falls, WI and was to pass away in October of 1970, just six months after writing this letter.]
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