A Bill for a State Road from Peoria to Pekin, thence to Intersect the Road Leading
from Peoria to Springfield, and for Other Purposes, [9 January 1836]1
A bill for an act establishing a State road leading from Peoria via Pekin to the State road leading from Springfield to Peoria
Sec[Section]. 1 Be it enacted by the people of the state of Illinois represented in the General Assembly: ThatMadison Allen[,] William Rankin & Theodorus Fisher be, and they are hereby appointed commissioners, to view, mark, and locate a State
road, begining at the town of Peoria, in the county of Peoria, Thence ^down the river on the North West side of the same, crossing the same at^ to Pekin in the county of Tazewell. Thence in a South Easterly direction till the same
intersects the road leading from Springfield to Peoria.
Sec. 2 The said commissioners or a majority of them shall meet at the town of Peoria
on the second monday of May ^Aprile^2 next, or as soon thereafter as practicable, and after being duly sworn, shall proceed
^to perform^ the duties required of them by this act, avoiding, as much the public good will permit,
the injury of private property.
Sec 3 The said commissioners, shall, as soon thereafter as convenient, cause to be
filed with the clerk of the county commissioner's court for the county of Peoria, a report, and correct map of so much of said road as may
be located in the said county of Peoria, and also, with the clerk of the county commissioners
court for the county of Tazewell, a like report and map of so much of said road as
may be located in the said county of Tazewell, and the said reports and maps shall
b[e] preserved and shall form parts of the records of said courts respectively Said road,
when so established, shall be kept in repair as other State roads are.3
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Sec. 4 The county commissioners courts of the said counties of Peoria and Tazewell ^May^4 shall allow to said commissioners, out of their county Treasuries respectively, such compensation
as to them shall seem just and reasonable.
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A Bill for State Road form State peoria to pekin thence to Intersect the Road Leading from peoria to Springfield and
^for^ other purposes
1Abraham Lincoln wrote the entire text of this bill, including the additions, except
where noted.
On December 14, 1835, William Brown presented to the House of Representatives a petition from citizens of Tazewell County. The House referred the petition to a select committee, which included Abraham Lincoln.
Lincoln wrote this draft of the bill, to which the select committee added an amendment. Another member of the select committee introduced the bill in the House on January 9, 1836. The House passed the bill on January 11. The Senate passed the bill on January 16 . On January 18, the Council of Revision approved the bill and the act became law.
Illinois House Journal. 1835. 9th G. A., 2nd sess., 42, 260, 275, 355, 370, 372; Illinois Senate Journal. 1835. 9th G. A., 2nd sess., 219, 274, 287, 289.
3State roads were those public roads established or designated by the General Assembly
and usually crossed county lines. Only the General Assembly could establish, alter,
or abandon state roads, until 1840 and 1841, when the General Assembly gave counties
the authority to alter or to abandon state roads upon petition by a majority of voters
in the area of the change.
Handwritten Document, 4 page(s), Lincoln Collection, Illinois State Archives (Springfield, IL).