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The second commemorative
quarter-dollar coin released in 2007
honors Washington, and is the 42nd
coin in the United States Mint's 50
State Quarters® Program. Washington,
nicknamed the "Evergreen State," was
admitted into the Union on November
11, 1889, becoming our Nation's 42nd
state. The reverse of Washington's
quarter features a king salmon
breaching the water in front of
majestic Mount Rainier. The coin
bears the inscriptions "The Evergreen
State," "Washington" and
"1889."
Mount Rainier is
an active volcano encased in more
than 35 square miles of snow and
glacial ice. It is the symbolic
bridge between the eastern and
western parts of the State. The
salmon is another important symbol of
Washington. It is a traditional image
of Pacific Northwest culture, and
this fish has provided nourishment
for the native peoples of the Pacific
Northwest. Newsman and real estate
pioneer C.T. Conover nicknamed
Washington the "Evergreen State"
because of its many lush evergreen
forests.
In April 2005,
Governor Chris Gregoire established
the Washington State Quarter Advisory
Commission to help guide the quarter
selection process. The Commission
requested that residents submit
design narratives representing
various Washington themes. The
Commission received more than 1,500
suggestions and chose five narratives
to pass on to the United States Mint.
United States Mint sculptor-engravers
and artists in the United States
Mint's Artistic Infusion Program
created the corresponding design
images. The residents of Washington
participated in a statewide vote in
April 2006, in which more than
130,000 votes were cast. On May 4,
2006, Governor Gregoire announced
Washington's recommendation at
Centennial Elementary School in
Olympia, Washington. Governor
Gregoire's recommendation, a king
salmon breaching the water in front
of Mount Rainier, received the
majority of votes cast in the
statewide poll.
The Department of the Treasury approved the
design on June 22, 2006. The two other
designs considered during the statewide
vote were a design depicting a salmon,
Mount Rainier and an apple within an
outline of Washington State, and a
Northwest Native American-stylized
orca.
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