Map of the states and territories of the United States as it was from December 1853 to 1854. On December 30 1853, the Gadsden Purchase added a small part of Mexico to New Mexico Territory. On May 30 1854, Nebraska Territory and Kansas Territory was organized; the remaining portion of unorganized territory became known colloquially as "Indian territory".
The Gadsden Purchase in December 1853 added land to New Mexico Territory, while in May 1854, Nebraska and Kansas Territories were organized, and the leftover land was referred to as "Indian territory."
{{Information| |Description=Map of the states and territories of the United States as it was from |Source= |Date= |Author=Made by User:Golbez. |Permission=Own work, attribution required (Multi-license with GFDL and Creative Commons CC-BY 2.5) |other_