page_title: Territories of the United States on stamps
section_title: Explorers
hierarchical_section_title: Territories of the United States on stamps / Explorers
caption_attribution_description: English: Francisco Vasquez de Coronado found the Pacific Southwest exploring for Spain. On the 400th anniversary a 3-cent stamp was issued May 29, 1935. The California Pacific International Exposition is shown with Point Loma and San Diego Bay in the background.
context_page_description: Territories of the United States on stamps discusses commemorative postal issues devoted to lands that have been ceded to the nation or purchased by treaty in conjunction with both war and peace. Thirteen states have been created from colonial territories, two from independent republics, four from previous states in the Union, and an additional thirty-one from United States territories.
  Many aspects of acquisition, settlement and exploration have been celebrated on postage stamps. These are represented below in issues that appeared prior to 1978.
context_section_description: Early explorers include Christopher Columbus and Leif Erikson.
  Christopher Columbus was honored in the first U.S. commemorative stamps in the Columbian Exposition issue of 1893. On his return to Spain, Columbus reported his discoveries to the Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, who made the Americas widely known in Europe.
  Leif Erikson the 11th century Norse explorer was honored with a 6-cent stamp on October 9, 1968 — Leif Erikson Day. The stamp was inspired by the statue by American Stirling Calder in Reykjavic, Iceland.
  Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the Spanish explorer of the Panama Canal region, is honored in the Panama-Pacific Exposition issue. Balboa called the western ocean 'Mar del Sur'. The 1-cent stamp paid the post card rate. Patrons also commonly combined it with other denominations to fulfill large weight and foreign destination rates. Over 330 million 1-cent stamps were printed.
  Early French explorers include Antoine Cadillac, Jacques Marquette and Jean Nicolet.
  Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac was honored with a 3-cent stamp on July 24, 1951, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of his landing at Detroit in 1701. Cadillac founded the city of Detroit. The stamp's background design depicts Detroit's skyline as it appeared in 1951 and the foreground shows Cadillac's landing at Detroit in 1701. His namesake is the Cadillac motor vehicle company.
  Jacques Marquette was honored on the one-cent stamp of the Trans-Mississippi Exposition Issue. The vignette shows him on the Mississippi River, which he and Louis Jolliet explored (from the Wisconsin River downstream to the Arkansas River) in 1673. Marquette was also honored on a 6-cent stamp, issued September 20, 1968, at Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, where he established in 1668 the oldest permanent settlement in that state.
  Explorer Jean Nicolet's landing at Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 1634 was celebrated on its 300th anniversary by a violet 3-cent stamp issued on July 7, 1934. The vignette is taken from a painting by Edward W. Deming depicting Nicolet's landing at Green Bay, with numerous Indians present.
  Early English explorers include John Smith and Philip Carteret.
  Captain John Smith—who promoted the Jamestown settlement, explored the Chesapeake region and as its governor, is credited with its success—was honored on the 1-cent stamp of the Jamestown Exposition issue. The Simon de Passe engraving of John Smith (1580–1631) inspired the image on the stamp.
  Philip Carteret was honored on New Jersey's 300th anniversary 5-cent stamp on June 15, 1964, which shows Carteret landing at Elizabethtown (Elizabeth), the state's oldest city. The scene is superimposed over an outline map of New Jersey.
  Francisco Vázquez de Coronado found the Pacific Southwest exploring for Spain. On the 400th anniversary a 3-cent stamp was issued May 29, 1935. The California Pacific International Exposition is shown with Point Loma and San Diego Bay in the background.
  Coronado's expeditions of exploration through the southwestern states in search of riches were celebrated on a 3-cent stamp issued September 7, 1940, on the 400th anniversary. He extended northeast as far as Kansas learning about the Indians and the regional topography.
  Early American explorers include Daniel Boone, Lewis and Clark.
  Daniel Boone was honored with a 6-cent stamp in the American Folklore Series, issued on September 26, 1968, at Frankfort, Kentucky, where he was buried. He was a famous frontiersman in the development of Virginia, Kentucky and the trans-Appalachian west. A wall of roughly-hewn boards display the tools of Boone's trade—a Pennsylvania rifle, a powder horn, and a knife. The pipe tomahawk represents that the Shawnees had adopted Boone. His name and birth date was carved on the wall. 
  Captain Meriwether Lewis and Lieutenant William Clark commanded the Corps of Discovery to map the Pacific Northwest. They were honored with a 3-cent stamp July 24, 1954 on the 150th anniversary. The 1803 Louisiana Purchase doubled the size of the United States Lewis and Clark, described and sketched its flora and fauna and described t
caption: Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, California
  1935 issue
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