Saturday, August 27, 2011

Gadsden Purchase 1853



This is a maximum card with the stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 1853 Gadsden Purchase. The stamp is canceled on the first day of issue in Tucson, Arizona on December 30, 1953.

The Gadsden Purchase was a 29,670-square-mile area of land purchased from Mexico. The region later became part of Arizona and New Mexico. The purchase treaty was signed by James Gadsden who was the American ambassador to Mexico. This purchase was the last major territorial acquisition in the contiguous United States. The purpose of the purchase was to allow the construction in the U.S. of a transcontinental railroad along a deep southern route.

The stamp design features a scene showing pioneers in their ox-drawn covered wagon. The design includes shrubs and cactus plants native to that area. The scene is set against a background (in the "sky") of a map of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. The Gadsden Purchase is the white area on the map.



I am participating in Sunday Stamps at Viridian's Postcard Blog




9 comments:

  1. I've learned some more American history from this stamp and your explanation.

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  2. thats quite an interesting story actually...im always intrigued to learn more when it comes down to Mexico....thanks for sharing!

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  3. Atmospheric maximum card, they certainly thought big in the 19th Century.

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  4. beautiful postcard, and great design on the stamp. I'm surprised by the year - I thought the Indian wars were still going on.
    Thanks for participating.

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  5. Coincidentally I have a friend in New Mexico who explained to me about the purchase recently. It's not often I know much American history. I hadn't realised quite how large the area was though.

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  6. Great maxicard, informative post! If you have want to donate it, you know what to do.
    :)

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  7. I'd never heard of the Gadsden purchase. I suppose a little education is a positive side-effect of postcard and stamp collecting!

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