letters of western expansion

The article, Letters of Western Expansion, gives examples of different people and the struggles of getting a letter to their family in that time. It talks about how families saw an opportunity to move westward, and they still tried to keep in touch with the rest of their family back home. "Anna's stipulation, 'if ever I should visit it again,' was entirely appropriate, given the difficulties of travel in the early nineteenth century." Since traveling during this time was so difficult, they did not know whether they would see their family again. This is why keeping in touch with family through letters was so important.