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Release date of Utah State Quarter:
Nov 05,
2007.
The fifth and final commemorative quarter-dollar coin released in 2007 honors
Utah, and is the 45th coin in the United States Mint's 50 State Quarters®
Program. Utah was admitted into the Union on January 4, 1896, becoming our
Nation's 45th state.
The reverse of Utah's quarter features two locomotives
moving toward the golden spike that joined the Central Pacific and Union Pacific
railroads, linking East to West and transforming both the Utah Territory and the
Nation with the inscription "Crossroads of the West." The coin also bears the
inscriptions "Utah" and "1896."
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The Utah State Quarter recalls the historic
completion of the Trans-Continental Railroad in 1869. United
States Mint image |
On May 10, 1869, two steam locomotives met at Promontory, Utah, for the
"Joining of the Rails Ceremony," at which the Union Pacific and Central Pacific
railroads completed the transcontinental route. The event was crucial to the
development of the American West because it made cross-country travel more
convenient and economical. The construction of the railroad, and the subsequent
mining boom, brought diverse ethnic and religious populations to Utah. The
railroad also symbolized the changing technology, and moved Utah from an
agrarian economy to a more industrialized one.
Even before the time of steam locomotives, Utah experienced a steady flow of
explorers and pioneers. The Spaniards first came to explore Utah in the 18th
century and were followed by mountain men, Mormons and prospectors in search of
precious metals found in the 1860s. Because of its central location, Utah became
known as the "Crossroads of the West.
The Utah Commemorative Quarter Commission invited narrative submissions from the
citizens of Utah. The Commission received approximately 5,000 submissions and
recommended three concepts to the United States Mint for rendering by the United
States Mint sculptor-engravers and artists in the United States Mint's Artistic
Infusion Program. More than 150,000 citizens voted in a 25-day statewide vote in
April 2006. "Crossroads of the West" prevailed as the favorite design among
voters. Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., announced the State¿s recommendation at
the Golden Spike National Historic Site in Promontory on May 10, 2006, the 137th
anniversary of the Joining of the Rails.
The Department of the Treasury approved the design on June 22, 2006. The two
other design concepts considered were the "Beehive," featuring a beehive, part
of the official seal and State emblem of Utah, symbolizing industry and working
together for common purposes, and "Winter Sports," featuring a female snow
boarder and celebrating Utah as a world-class winter sport destination and the
site of the 2002 Winter Olympics.
Purchase a
Utah State Quarter
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