Letters from Caleb Thomas Curtis to his brother in-law Joseph [last name also Curtis], his sister Susan, and his sister Maria, written from Louisville, KY, Illinois, St. Louis, Paducah, KY, and New Orleans during his travels by steamboat between the years 1836 and 1838. In the letters, Curtis details his travels along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, commenting on the differences between Boston and the “Western Country,” the people he meets along the way, and the bustling nature of Louisville and New Orleans. In one letter addressed to his sister Susan, Curtis describes a January 8th celebration in New Orleans commemorating the War of 1812’s Battle of New Orleans. He briefly alludes to his business ventures as well, mentioning in the same letter that he has opened a shop in St. Louis. Curtis also writes in reference to news from New England and the North East, commenting on Boston’s weather and the Whig victory in New York.