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The Missouri quarter is the fourth
quarter of 2003, and the 24th in the
50 State Quarters® Program. Missouri
became the 24th state on August 10,
1821, as a part of the Missouri
Compromise. The Missouri quarter
depicts Lewis and Clark’s historic
return to St. Louis down the Missouri
River, with the Jefferson National
Expansion Memorial (Gateway Arch) in
the background. The quarter is
inscribed "Corps of Discovery
1804-2004."
While much of the state’s history is tied
to the mighty rivers that flow through it,
the "Show Me State" got its nickname
because of the devotion of its people to
simple common sense. In 1899, Rep. Willard
D. Vandiver said, "Frothy eloquence neither
convinces nor satisfies me. I'm from
Missouri. You've got to show me." It is
easy to imagine President Thomas Jefferson
saying "show me" as he sent Lewis and Clark
forth on their trek into the uncharted
Louisiana Purchase territory. Their
8,000-mile journey westward and back, which
some claim was the greatest U.S. military
expedition ever, began in St. Charles,
Missouri -- just 20 miles west of St. Louis
-- in 1804 and ended when they returned to
St. Louis, Missouri in 1806.
In February
2001, Governor Bob Holden announced
the selection of the Missouri
Commemorative Quarter Design
Committee and requested statewide
design submissions. During the month
of March, the state received more
than 3,000 concept submissions. The
Missouri Commemorative Design
Committee, composed of a team of
experts, selected twelve finalists.
The twelve finalists were presented
to the public, who chose five
concepts to forward to the United
States Mint. The concepts included
representations of the Pony Express,
the nation’s westward expansion,
Lewis and Clark, and a riverboat.
From the candidate designs that the
United States Mint returned to
Governor Holden, "Corps of Discovery
1804-2004" was chosen by an online
vote.
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The Missouri coin depicts
Lewis and Clark’s historic return to
St. Louis down the Missouri River,
with the Jefferson National Expansion
Memorial (Gateway Arch) in the
background. The quarter is inscribed
"Corps of Discovery
1804-2004."
United States Mint
image
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To
learn even more about the
State Quarters Program, please
visit,
The United States
Mint
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