The undersigned representing the Counties lying1 in a due North & south linee between the Tennessee Valley & the Capitol of the State of Alabama respectfully show
That the mail from Huntsville to Montgomery requires a more direct communication and
speedy transmission than now exists, that the well populated section of country between
these points is lamentably deficient in mail facilities & in Post-Offices, making
it from 8 to 12 days to receive a letter the distance of 100 miles from either of
these points & often longer, & therefore wish a mail route as described below. Another
& important consideration is, the proposed route will speed the transit of the great
northern & Southern mail, as it is at least forty miles more than any other route, on emphatically the best road between North & South Ala’ (running
nearly the whole distance on a high pine ridge) and no rivers to cross. We therefore for ourselves, as well as for a numerous constituency ask
that ^for^ a tri-weekly mail in 4 horse post Coaches ^on the [rout?]^ as follows: A daily line is now running from Huntsville2 to Gunters Landing.
| Let this line start from Gunters. Landing | [ |
| Blount Co’ to Blountsville | = 30 miles |
| thence to Elyton Jefferson Co | = 47" |
| ^Columbiana or^Montevallo, Shelby " | = 30" |
| ""Montgomery via Chestnut creek & Quitmans in Autauga Co |
70" |
| 177 miles |
| or from Gunters landing to Ashville St Clair Co | 47 |
| thence to Montevallo & on as above | 65 |
| 70 | |
| 182 |
There is a tri-weekly on the west side of the Coosa River crossing the Tallapoosa
river through Coosa, Talladega, & Benton Counties Around to Gunters Landing [or?] intersecting the daily line to Huntsville somewhere [near there?]
By establishing the proposed route regulated by this [?] circuitous, will furnish a daily mail from Montgomery to Huntsville.
We are satisfied, our petition needs nothing but a statement of facts & a reference
to the Map to sustain it. From the fact too that this, from
& remain Respectfully Yours &cJ W McClung<Page 2>
(the saving of time & distance ^& character of the road^) would become the great thoroughfare between North & South Ala’, the letting of contracts
could not burden the Department to any great extent, if at all. We ask your consideration
of this matter
| Wm Fleming | } | |
| M. A. King. | ||
| Thos H. Hewlett | Senator & Reps from the County of Madison | |
| Mace. T. P. Brindley. | ||
| James Critcher | ||
| Louis Wyeth | } | |
| Enoch Alldredge | Senator & Reps from the County of Blount & Marshall | |
| M. Kelly | ||
| Richmond Hammond | } | |
| L. G. McMillion | Senator & Reps fro[m?] the Counties of St Clair & Jefferson | |
| Wm S. Mudd | ||
| James M Nabors | } | |
| J. L. Storrs | Senator & Reps from the County of Shelby | |
| Thos H. Brasher | ||
| Seth P. Storrs | } | |
| C. M. Jackson | Senator & Rep’s from the County of Autauga | |
| J. Wood | ||
| Sam: C. Oliver | } | |
| B S Bibb | Senator & Reps from the County of Montgomery | |
| Robt J Ware | ||
| C. G. Gunter | ||
| [Senat?] |
<Page 3>
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Alabama
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Petition of Twenty one members of the Alabama Legislature, representing the Counties
of Madison, Blount, Marshall St. Clair, Jefferson, Shelby Autauga, & Montgomery, for
the establishment of a mail route, from, Huntsville to the City of Montgomery in Said
State,
[ docketing
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March 9, 1848 Referred to the committee on the Post office & Post Roads
[ docketing
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Refd to the Committee on P. Offices & P. Roads.
[ docketing
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E.
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Harris.
Handwritten Document Signed, 3 page(s), RG 233, Entry 367: Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, Thirtieth Congress, 1847-1849, Records of Legislative Proceedings, Petitions and Memorials, Resolutions of State Legislatures, and Related Documents Which Were Referred to Committees, 1847-1849, NAB,