In 1803, Thomas Jefferson and Napoleon Bonaparte negotiated the United States’ purchase of Louisiana from France. With two strokes of a pen, a fledgling nation barely a generation old doubled in size overnight and became one of the largest nations in the world. The Louisiana Purchase, approved by treaty in April of 1803, is called the most significant real estate transaction in the history of civilization. The over 800,000 square miles of land—bought at a cost of about four cents per acre—would eventually be cut into all or part of fifteen American states: Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, North Dakota, Texas, South Dakota, New Mexico, Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Colorado and Montana. Two hundred years later, the song Louisiana sings is “Happy Birthday.” The year 2003 marks the Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial, a year-long celebration of activities and events set statewide to entertain, educate and inspire Louisiana citizens and visitors. The 2003 Louisiana Cattle Festival and Fair is proudly dedicated to the Yearlong Celebration of this epic event which transformed not only our nation but the world itself. T