Robert Atkins Tovey, Sr., an Englishman traveling to Kansas Territory, wrote to his wife Eliza (Matthew) Tovey, at their home it Albany, New York. Tovey recounted his travel experiences by steamboat and rail. Throughout, he provided detailed scenic descriptions from New York, the Great Lakes, Detroit, Illinois, St. Louis, and the Missouri River. Tovey, coming into contact with slavery on his journey, included brief commentary on the subject.