The undersigned, Citizens of Round Prairie and adjacent Townships, in the County of Jefferson and State of Iowa, beg leave respectfully to represent: That Mail Route No. ^48^ 45811 ^4581^ established by act of Congress, and being within the limits of Said State, has for its terminating points Burlington, on the Mississippi River; and Fairfield, the Seat of Justice of Jefferson County; that the western portion of said Route, towit: that portion of it between Fairfield and Skunk River, runs through an exceedingly hilly and rough Section of country, the most so, it is believed, of any in all Iowa; and that, in consequence of the extreme hilliness and roughness of said road, it is at all times ^a^ matter of difficulty, and sometimes of almost impossibility, to pass over it with a four horse coach, as is required to be done in order to meet the convenience and interests of the travelling community, besides carrying the Mails tri-weekly each way, on Said route; that this hilly and rough road may be easily avoided, and a nearly level route obtained—(without, too materially incriasing the distance)—between Fairfield and the Skunk river—by running it from two to three miles South of the present route, and nearly parallel with it—over which a four horse Coach could run, and carry the Mail, at all Seasons of the year, without the Slightest difficulty; and that such a route is already opened, and made an established road, by a law of this State. And your petitioners would further represent, that while the route at present taken by the Mail runs mostly through a timbered country, that which is herein proposed by us to be substituded in its places passes mainly through

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the prairie, or near its edge, and that the latter has a much denser population along it than the former. And further, your petitioners would state that there is a Post Office now established at a place called Glasgow, in Round Prairie Township, which place is some two-and-a-half miles south of the route herein proposed, which Office receives its mail matter once a week from Fairfield, and the inhabitants of which place, and its vicinity, would be much ^better^ benefitted by receiving their mails three times instead of but once a week.

For the reasons above set forth your petitioners pray your honorable body to pass a law authorizing Mail Route No. 45812 to be so changed as to run through Round Prairie by the places of Stewarts, Bull, and Moffits, and that an office, to be called the “Round Prairie Post Office” may be established on said Route at the present residence of George Moffet Sen^r: And that the Offices now existing at Glasgow and Lockridge, both of which are in said Township, may, if it is deemed necessary in order to accomplish the Object above mentioned, be abandoned; as by merging the two into this proposed Office, the Citizens at these two points would be better accommodated than they now are. And further your petitioners ask that the present Office at Rome, near Skunk river, on said route, may be changed to the residence of Thomas Smith Jun^r on the route proposed in its stead: And your petitioners will ever pray &c.