History: Louisiana Purchase Ratified

On October 20 of 1803, congress ratified the United States Senate approved to ratify a treaty with France, and to purchase the Louisiana Territory, by a vote of 24 to 7. This purchase doubled the size of the new nation, adding territory that would later become the states of Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and parts of Minnesota, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming, and Colorado.

Pompey’s Piller interpretive center

From The Meeteetse News, Friday, May 7, 1920 – In a time when prices are soaring out of reach, it is a fitting pleasure to call attention to the fact that April 30 marks the 117th anniversary of the day the United States bought a vast empire from France for only $15,000,000.

This comprises what is now the states of Louisiana, Missouri. Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma and the largest parts of Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.

The greatest bargain in history was called the Louisiana Purchase and was negotiated in the administration of President Jefferson and in the reign of the first Napoleon. The purchase more than doubled the area of the United Stales, but, nevertheless, there were a considerable number of Americans who suspected Napoleon of profiteering and denounced Jefferson as an easy mark. In fact, there was instituted among the New England Slates a definite movement of secession in protest against the purchase. Jefferson himself was not without misgivings, for $15,000,000 was a large amount of money In those days and the territory included in the purchase was then a vast wilderness with a population of but 40,000.

The land had been ceded by Spain to Napoleon who planned to erect a great colonial empire but he found himself obliged to sell out when pressed for ready money to carry on his wars against England and her allies. Some historians say that, besides the Revolutionary and Civil wars, the Louisiana Purchase is the greatest fact in American history. But there can be no doubt that it is the most profitable investment ever made by any nation, for the taxable wealth included in the purchase now is about 600 times the 115,000,000 the United States paid for the land.

As we saw in this newspaper story, the price was unbelievably cheap. The 828,000 square miles laying west of the Mississippi River was purchased for $15 million, or roughly four cents per acre. Today, land prices in Northern Wyoming are over $1000 per acre. Some homes in Sheridan sell for over $1 million. So the purchase was a good deal for Jefferson and the United States, possibly not so good for Napoleon.

Cheyenne State Leader, July 15, 1917, part of a much longer article …..“I have signed away an empire” said Napoleon when he had signed the treaty which gave the United States the Louisiana Territory. This event which made the greater portions of the states of Wyoming and Colorado a part of our country was brought about through the intervention of trans-Allegheny colonists wanted an open port to the sea through the mouth of the Mississippi River. What else it meant to this country was of course, little, understood by Americans at that time True to the nature of our country’s early history the government was not long in attempting to take possession of this new territory.

In 1804-1805 Lewis and Clarke undertook their scientific expedition across the continent. This trip resulted in a wonderful enrichment of our scientific knowledge of the country but failed to arouse popular interest.

A 100 – year commemoration of the Louisiana Purchase, known as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, was held at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, and Wyoming was featured in the exposition.

This from the Converse County Herald, May 5, 1904 – The Louisiana Purchase Exposition In Brief – Idea was born in 1808. It commemorates the centennial of Louisiana purchase from France, 1803. U. S. purchased that strip of territory, Gulf of Mexico to Canada, and from Mississippi river to crest of the Rocky Mountains. The Mississippi valley belonged to France by right of discovery and exploration. Louisiana was ceded to Spain, secret treaty 1702, and 37 years later returned to France at the demand of Napoleon Bonaparte, Oct. 1, 1800.

President Thomas Jefferson purchased Louisiana territory, outlined above, from Napoleon for $15,000,000, who used the funds for equipment of his armies. The treaty was signed at Paris April 80, 1803. Louisiana territory embraced 1,000,000 square miles. In 1808, following an editorial in a St. Louis paper that the greatest centennial event of the age should be celebrated in a fitting manner.

Govenor. Stevens of Missouri called a delegation from the States now constituting the Louisiana territory at St. Louis, Jan. 10, 1890. Ninety-throe delegates voted unanimously to hold an exposition, international in its scope, in St. Louis. The U. S. government was invited to assist and it was settled to spend $15,000,000 in completing the exposition, the amount of the original purchase The government paid one-third, St. Louis one third and the balance was raised by public subscription, Trees were felled, hills were leveled, the course of the river, De Peres, changed.

Aug. 20, 1901, President William McKinley issued a proclamation inviting the world to participate in the mammoth exposition. The grounds cover 1,240 acres, an area two miles long and one mile wide. The main exhibit palaces at St. Louis have under roof 128 acres. When the time arrived for the completion of the exposition it was found necessary to postpone it another year. Nations were asking for more space for their exhibits and the affair had been multiplied in its proportions until at the time of its completion now, it has cost about $60,000,000, and is the largest exposition ever given on earth.

The Wyoming Industrial Journal, February 1, 1902

Sheridan took an active part in the celebration – The Sheridan Post, September 30, 1903 – The Sheridan Meeting. Representatives send to the Cheyenne meeting by the Sheridan Commercial club to secure the third industrial convention for Sheridan were successful, in lively contest with Rawlins. The slogan, “On to Sheridan,” was hoisted on the banner of the association, and the time set for the convention was October 7, 8 and 9, 1903.

It was decided that exhibits from every section of Wyoming should be gathered at Sheridan, and that these should form the nucleus of the state’s display at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904. The legislature was memorialized by the Industrial association, and appropriated the amount asked for ($25,000) for the purpose of making the state exhibit at the World’s fair, The commission appointed by authority of the legislative act was prevailed Upon by the executive committee of the industrial association to offer premiums for exhibits at Sheridan, to encourage the people to greater efforts. Accordingly, the commission offered the prizes listed below, with the understanding that the commission should be entitled to select Such of the exhibits at Sheridan as they desired to show at St. Louis.

Two-hundred and twenty-one years ago this month Congress ratified the Louisiana Purchase, of which most of Wyoming was a part. The purchase opened up a great unknown land which was eventually settled and became a part of the United States as it is today.

Pompey’s Piller along the Lewis and Clark Trail east of Billings, Montana

There will be more stories about the Lewis and Clark expedition in this history series. Keep watch on Sheridadnmedia.com for more.
All photos take at the Pompey’s Pillar National Monument Interpretive Center, with thanks.