Stamp Unveiling Launches Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial Celebration

The unveiling of a commemorative stamp at the State Capitol has kicked off celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of the Louisiana Purchase. The treaty – signed two centuries ago – gave the United States a wealth of territory, including present day Missouri. Elizabeth Gentry Sayad, Co-Chair of the National Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial Committee, says that sale of land was one of the most significant events in the history of the new nation and was quite a bargain – a purchase price of $15-Million, working out to about 3-cents an acre. The celebration – taking place in all states that were once part of the Louisiana Territory – continues through March of next year when it culminates with an event in St. Louis to mark the actual transfer of land from France to the United States.