EXHIBIT 99.4
    
                                  [DTG Logo]
                              29705 453rd Avenue
                        Irene, South Dakota 57037-0066
                               January 15, 1999
     
                 MERGER PROPOSED--YOUR VOTE IS VERY IMPORTANT
                                        
Dear fellow stockholder,
    
     On behalf of the Board of Directors and management of Dakota
Telecommunications Group, Inc. ("DTG"), I cordially invite you to attend a
special meeting of stockholders of DTG to be held at 7:00 p.m., local time, on
February 25, 1999 at the Irene Public School, located at 130 E. State Street,
Irene, South Dakota 57037. Please plan to join us prior to the Special Meeting
for an informal dinner to be served at 5:30 p.m. Stockholders holding stock in
single ownership form are invited to bring a guest.     
    
     At this important special meeting, DTG stockholders will be asked to vote
to adopt an Agreement and Plan of Merger, as amended, pursuant to which DTG
would become a wholly owned subsidiary of McLeodUSA Incorporated. In the merger,
each share of DTG Common Stock would be converted into 0.4328 shares of
McLeodUSA Common Stock. There is presently no established public trading market
for DTG Common Stock. McLeodUSA Common Stock is listed on The Nasdaq Stock
Market under the symbol "MCLD." The closing price of McLeodUSA Common Stock on
The Nasdaq Stock Market on January __, 1999, was $____ per share, which is $____
per share of DTG Common Stock based on the exchange ratio.     

     The terms of the merger agreement and important information relating to
McLeodUSA and DTG are described in the accompanying Prospectus and Proxy
Statement.  Please give this document your careful attention.

     The Board of Directors of DTG has carefully considered the terms and
conditions of the merger agreement and has received the written opinion of Duff
& Phelps, LLC, DTG's financial advisor, that the merger agreement is fair from a
financial point of view to the stockholders of DTG.  YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
BELIEVES THAT THE PROPOSED MERGER IS IN THE BEST INTERESTS OF DTG AND ITS
STOCKHOLDERS, AND UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDS THAT DTG STOCKHOLDERS VOTE "FOR"
ADOPTION OF THE MERGER AGREEMENT.

     I encourage you to attend the special meeting in person.  PLEASE SIGN AND
DATE THE ENCLOSED PROXY CARD AND RETURN IT IN THE ENCLOSED POSTAGE-PAID
ENVELOPE, regardless of whether you intend to attend the meeting.  This will
ensure that your shares are represented.

                              Sincerely,
    
                              /s/ Thomas W. Hertz
     
                              Thomas W. Hertz
                              Chairman of the Board and
                              Chief Executive Officer