Gadsden Purchase, Historical treaty territory in southern Arizona, United States.
The area covers much of southern Arizona between the Gila River to the north and the current Mexico border to the south. Today it contains modern cities like Tucson and serves as a major transportation corridor through the southwestern United States.
The area was transferred from Mexico to the United States in 1853 through a treaty to enable a southern railroad route to the Pacific coast. This agreement represented the final major land acquisition that shaped the modern borders of the continental country.
Native American tribes, particularly the Apache, had lived in this region for centuries and left behind place names and settlement patterns visible today. Their presence shaped how the land was used and understood before and after the border change.
You can explore this region by driving through its modern cities and along the major highways that connect the southwest. The territory is easily accessible by car, with Tucson serving as a main hub for visiting sites and understanding the landscape.
This territory was the final piece of land added to the continental United States, completing the borders you see on modern maps today. Without this 1853 acquisition, southern Arizona would belong to Mexico instead.
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