Introduction The name of the document is ‘’ 3this muddy place’’. It was a letter written by Mary Ballou a boardinghouse keeper in California Gold rush, 1852 and he was writing it to her son. In the early 1848 there was presence of gold in 2river valley of the Sierra Nevada the news spread fast more so in California and 2about 300,000 people came to search for gold. And the largest populations 2were women who came with their suitors or father but most came by themselves. Most of the women lived in town and they were engaged in cooking and other used to run hotels. Mary was among the women who travelled to California with her husband and became a boarding house cook at mining camp and she also helped her husband to search gold though in rare instances. He also helped in designing techniques for planning gold. The audience at the time the document was written was her son Selden. The letter itself starts with’’ my dear Selden’’. There is also presence of a ‘’ 1Oh my Dear Selden I am so Home sick I will say to you once more to see that Augustus has every thing that he kneeds to make him comfortable and by all means have him Dressed warm this cold winter’’ that helps us know she was referring to her son. Mary wrote the letter to let her son know what he was doing in the gold region. She also wanted to let him know about the activities in the muddy place’’ 1suppose you would like to know what I am doing in this gold region. Well I will try to tell you what my work is here in this muddy Place’’. She also wrote to express her current situation and worries for children. 1‘’I worry a great deal about my Dear children. it seems as though my heart would break when I realise how far I am from my Dear Loved ones this from your affectionate mother’’. The document tells us many things about life at the time it was written A. Life in Californian was hard she could easily get fatigued. This can b supported by this quote from the letter 1’’I have three Lights burning now but I am so tired and Blind that I can scearcely see and here I am among the French and Duch and Scoth and Jews and Italions and Sweeds and Chineese and Indians and all manner of tongus and nations but I am treated with due respect by them all’’. B. People are religious and they go to church 1.’’October 21 well I have been to church to hear a methodist sermon. his Text was let us lay aside every weight and the sin that doth so easely beset us.’’ C. There was political instability.’’ 1on the night of Election the second day of November was Burnt down and some lives lost. Adams express office was broken open by a band of robbers a large quantity of money was taken’’. After the document was written many people were discouraged not to go to California as the little gold available could not establish any trade off with hard life experienced in the country. There was shed of light and predicaments people of California more so women were going through and this greatly helped deliver women of being enslaved. Conclusion The quests for gold made many people park there their things and go to California. This resulted to enslavement of women who used to do cooking and housekeeping jobs. After the letter by Mary there is no clear picture of what transpired. Did he return to his home to see her beloved children or did her husband compel her to stay with him in California?