Gadsden Purchase

This Gadsden Purchase stamp commemorates the centenary of diplomat James Gadsden’s purchase of territory from Mexico for the United States in 1853. Gadsden’s purchase, which included land from present-day Arizona and New Mexico, was the last major territorial acquisition in the contiguous United States. The land was important for the development of the Southern Pacific Railroad, a transcontinental route. The stamp features an image of a map of the territory and a pioneer group traveling through the desert.