THE MAKING OF WYOMING.

1803. Wyoming is included in the region of the Louisiana Purchase under the governorship of Clai

borne. (Wyoming.)

1804. Territory of Orleans formed with Lewis as Governor, appointed by Jefferson, and all the rest of the Louisiana Purchase is called the Territory of Louisiana, having Clark for Governor. (Wyoming.)

1805. Aaron Burr and partner Blennerhassett unsuccessfully attempts to separate territory of Louisiana Purchase from the Union.

1812-14. England unsuccessfully attempts to take the Louisiana Purchase Territory and thus we saw the last hostile foreigners to encroach on our soil. 1812. State of Louisiana formed and all the Louisiana Territory is called Missouri Territory. (Wyoming.)

1813. Clark made Governor of Missouri Territory. (Wyoming.)

1854. Nebraska Territory formed from the northwestern part of Louisiana Territory. This includes the present boundaries of Nebraska, all of Montana east of the Rocky Mountains, North and South Dakota west of the Missouri River and all of Wyoming that was in the Louisiana Purchase and also that part of Wyoming included in the Texas Purchase.

The

1861. Dakota Territory formed from Minnesota and Nebraska Territory by taking from Nebraska the portion west of the Missouri River (now a part of North and South Dakota) and the part of Montana embraced in the Nebraska Territory. Dakota Territory comprises all of Wyoming in the Louisiana Purchase north of the 43° line drawn through the middle of the east and west corners of Natrona and Fremont Counties. The southeastern part of Wyoming then belongs to Nebraska Territory.

1848. Oregon Territory formed and comprises all of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, the northwestern portion of Montana and all that part of Wyoming included in the 1819 Oregon country and the land ceded to the United States in the Treaty of 1846 with England.

1853. Washington Territory formed from a part of Oregon embracing a portion of Idaho and Montana, but not Wyoming.

1859. Oregon becomes a State and that portion of Wyoming which was included in the Oregon Territory since 1848 now becomes a part of the Washington Territory, which consists of all of the original Oregon country not embraced in the State of Oregon.

1863. Idaho becomes a Territory and is formed from Washington, Dakota and Nebraska. Idaho embraces all of its present boundaries, all of Montana and all of Wyoming, not only the portion contained in the Oregon Territory, but all of the country in Wyoming embraced in the Dakota and Nebraska Territories except the extreme southwestern corner which had belonged to Utah since 1850 and came to us by the Mexican Grant. This Mexican Grant originally ran to a line nearly corresponding to the western county line of Carbon County. When Idaho Territory was formed, however, this southwest area was reduced until its eastern line corresponded with the eastern boundary of Uinta County, 33° of longitude, and its northern boundary was the extended southern boundary of the present Idaho, 42nd parallel.

1868. This southwestern Mexico territory is taken from Utah when Wyoming becomes a Territory. 1850. Utah by the Guadalupe-Hidalgo treaty becomes a Territory from Mexico. As such it includes the southwest corner of Wyoming. This territory is again reduced by the creation of the Idaho Territory. Utah holds a small area until 1868, when Wyoming becomes a Territory.

1845-1850. Texas owns a small portion of Wyoming, practically all of Carbon County and a small portion of the southwestern corner of Albany County.

1850. Texas sells all the above portion of Wyoming with other lands to our Government for $10,000,000.00.

1854. This Texas land in Wyoming is again included in the Nebraska Treaty, which is formed out of the original Louisiana Territory or Missouri Territory.

1864. When Montana Territory is created part of Idaho is temporarily restored to Dakota. This portion includes all of Wyoming, except Uinta County and the southern half of Yellowstone Park. Wyoming is now under the jurisdiction of Dakota, Idaho and Utah and so remains until the Territory is formed.

1868. Wyoming admitted as a Territory, the extreme southwest corner of State, embracing about onethird of Uinta County, coming from Utah. The rest of the county is a part of Idaho and the remainder of the State is taken from Dakota.

1890. Wyoming admitted as a State after having had territorial government, embracing land from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian line; from the western banks of the Mississippi to the Pacific Ocean and under rule of

1803, Louisiana.

1812, Missouri.

1845, Texas.

1848, Oregon.

1850, Utah.

1854, Nebraska.

1859, Washington.

1861, Dakota.

1863, Idaho.

1864, Dakota.

1868, Wyoming.

All territorial governments, except Texas.

STATE BOUNDARIES.

Constitution of Wyoming, Section 1, Article XI.

The Boundaries of Wyoming shall be as follows:

Commencing at the intersection of the twenty-seventh meridian of longitude west of Washington with the forty-fifth degree of north latitude, and running thence west to the thirty-fourth meridian of west longitude, thence south to the forty-first degree of north latitude, thence east to the twenty-seventh meridian of west longitude and thence north to the place of beginning,

(The State boundaries are identical with those of the Territory admitted in 1868).

CHAPTER IV.

THE LOUISIANA PURCHASE.

In 1763 Spain, by virtue of the "Family Compact" of 1762, so known because the rulers of France and Spain agreed to defend their domains against the whole world, took possession of Louisiana which had been in the hands of France since the time of her earliest explorers. During 1795 we entered into something of an indefinite sort of a treaty with Spain to use the mouth of the Mississippi, the present New Orleans, as a deposit for our products coming from all along the Mississippi and which were to be exported. Spain possessed both banks of the river at its mouth and the western shores to its source, while United States only possessed the eastern banks and had no seaport. The river was a highway to the market, and New Orleans was a port for the output of the settlers. The denial of the free use of the highway was a real injury to the frontier people. There was but one desire of the American people and that was the right to navigate untrammeled the river from its source to its mouth, for there must be an outlet for the inland products. This treaty of 1795 was only a temporary arrangement and at its best most uncertain. Rumors of war, of a desire to take the mouth of the Mississippi by force, of the discontent as to a condition which hindered the growth and prosperity of all those who were dependent upon the navigation of the Mississippi to get their goods to the sea, caused the United States authorities at Washington much anxiety. Great care and diplomacy must be used to bring about the desired result, to meet the demands of the justly restless farmers and producers. These people were demanding for their allegiance to the United States protection from the United States. The Government had for some time realized the importance of having a seaport at the mouth to export the products in order that the result of the laborers in the Mississippi valley might be profitable.