(Missouri) "Cape Girardeau Mo. T., October 17th 1819", manuscript postmark and matching "Paid 25" rating on 1819 folded letter to New Orleans La.; light fold toning, F.-V.F. Estimate  $300 - 400. Cape Girardeau was first settled in 1794; the town was incorporated in 1805 and the post office was established the next year. It is located on the Mississippi River, about 150 miles south of St. Louis. This cover is from the Cox-Heins correspondence. In it Cox reports to his future wife on the seemingly interminable trip from New Orleans to St. Louis, which he began by steamboat on August 16, 1819. $0 (Image)