Photograph of the house at Sixth Avenue and Broad Street, built sometime before 1884. It was originally owned by George Magoun, the first president of Iowa (Grinnell) College. The house, which faced east onto Broad Street, did not originally have a number, as the town began numbering houses and buildings in 1893.
The letter seems to be a fragment. The first paragraph discusses the where the writer lives, and details of the surrounding area. The second paragraph discusses information concerning state government and jurisdiction districts. Also mentioned is the State University [later University of Iowa].