FREE: 1953 First Day Issue 100th Anniversary Gadsden Purchase 3ct Stamp

Another neat piece!
At the end of the Mexican War, the Republic of Mexico was compelled to abandon its claim to Texas and to cede to the United States the territory now comprising most of New Mexico, Arizona, California, Colorado, Utah and Nevada.
James Gadsden had been the commissioner in charge of placing the Seminole Indians on reservations in Florida and a long time railroad promoter. Appointed as Minister to Mexico by President Pierce, this offered him the opportunity to broker "The Gadsden Purchase" by which he secured a vast tract of land, some 30 million acres (at 3 acres per dollar), to adjust the US border southward of the Gila River and thus allow the easiest route for the construction of a railroad to the Gulf of California.
Gadsden was recalled for meddling in the politics of Mexico and did not live to see that the land he acquired eventually led to the construction of the Southern Pacific Railroad.
This stamp marks the Century of the Purchase and that period of south-westward settlement. [Scott # 1028]