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The
fourth commemorative quarter-dollar
coin released in 2007 honors Wyoming,
and is the 44th coin in the United
States Mint's 50 State Quarters®
Program. Wyoming, nicknamed the
"Equality State," was admitted into
the Union on July 10, 1890, becoming
our Nation's 44th state. The reverse
of Wyoming's quarter features a
bucking horse and rider with the
inscriptions "The Equality State,"
"Wyoming" and "1890."
The bucking
horse and rider symbolize Wyoming's
Wild West heritage. "Buffalo Bill"
Cody personified this in his
traveling Wild West show. First
settled by fur trappers, Fort
Laramie, Wyoming, later became a
popular destination for pioneers
traveling the Oregon
Trail.
Wyoming was
nicknamed the "Equality State"
because of its historical role in
establishing equal voting rights for
women. Wyoming was the first
territory to grant "female suffrage"
and became the first state in the
Nation to allow women to vote, serve
on juries and hold public office. In
1924, Nellie Tayloe Ross became the
first woman elected Governor of
Wyoming. In 1933, Ross became the
first woman appointed as the Director
of the United States Mint.
In 2004, Governor Dave Freudenthal formed
the Wyoming Coinage Advisory Committee,
which includes 13 Wyoming historians and
other experts. The State invited citizens
to submit narratives, and approximately
3,200 were accepted over a three-month
period. Governor Freudenthal then
recommended five concepts that were
developed into design candidates by the
United States Mint sculptor-engravers and
artists in the United States Mint's
Artistic Infusion Program. On May 12, 2006,
Governor Freudenthal announced his
recommendation of the bucking horse and
rider design.
The Department of the Treasury approved the
design on June 22, 2006. Four other designs
were considered, including "Bucking Horse
and Rider with State Outline;" "Bucking
Horse and Rider with Teton Range;" "Bucking
Horse and Rider in typical Wyoming scene,"
depicting a horse and rider on a ranch; and
"Yellowstone National Park — Old Faithful
Geyser," featuring the famous geyser
located in Yellowstone National
Park.
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| The Wyoming State Quarter has a
bucking horse, symbolic of WY Wild West
heritage.United States Mint
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To
learn even more about the
State Quarters Program, please
visit,
The United States
Mint
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