On the first of January, 1853, there were in the United States, 13,227 miles of completed railroad, 12,928 miles ot railroad in various stages of progress, and about 7000 miles in the hands of the ...

On Dec. 30, 1853, the United States made the Gadsden Purchase from Mexico, obtaining 45,000 square miles of land that eventually would become the southern parts of Arizona and New Mexico.