PORTLAND, Ore. — The Mount Hood National Forest quarter erupted on the scene today in a launch ceremony at Portland’s World Forestry Center. United States Mint Deputy Director Andy Brunhart and Forest Supervisor Gary Larsen, Mount Hood National Forest, co–hosted the event, which included appearances by Oregon Treasurer Ted Wheeler and the United States Mint mascot, Peter the Mint Eagle. Matt Zaffino, chief meteorologist for KGW–TV, served as master of ceremonies.
“Each time Americans see this coin, they will connect with Mount Hood’s magnificent beauty, humbling presence and the spiritual qualities that beckon to us today as they did to early inhabitants,” Brunhart said.
The ceremony culminated in a coin exchange in which adults exchanged their cash for rolls of the new Mount Hood National Forest quarter. Children 18 years old and younger received a new quarter to commemorate the event.
The reverse (tails side) design of the Mount Hood National Forest quarter depicts a view of Mount Hood with Lost Lake in the foreground. Inscriptions on the reverse are MOUNT HOOD, OREGON, 2010 and E PLURIBUS UNUM. The coin’s obverse (heads side) design features the 1932 portrait of George Washington by John Flanagan, restored to bring out subtle details and the beauty of the original model. Inscriptions on the obverse are UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, LIBERTY, IN GOD WE TRUST and QUARTER DOLLAR.
“What a fitting way to memorialize Mount Hood as an American icon,” Larsen said. “Mount Hood figured very significantly as sacred land for Native Americans and has similar importance for us today. We’re honored to have this recognition.”
The Mount Hood National Forest quarter was released into circulation November 15. It is the fifth coin in the United States Mint America the Beautiful Quarters® Program, a multi–year initiative to honor 56 national parks and other sites in each state, the District of Columbia and the five U.S. territories. Each year through 2020, the United States Mint will issue five new quarters in the order in which the honored site was first established as a national site. One final coin will be released in 2021.
The United States Mint began offering 100–coin bags and two–roll sets containing the new Mount Hood National Forest quarter on November 15. Collectors may order these products at http://www.usmint.gov/catalog or by calling 1–800–USA–MINT (872–6468). Hearing– and speech–impaired customers with TTY equipment may order by calling 1–888–321–MINT (6468).
Free lesson plans based on the America the Beautiful Quarters Program are available for download at http://www.usmint.gov/kids/. Created and reviewed by teachers to meet national curricular standards, the plans draw on the new reverse designs to inspire students to learn about the culture, geography, unique heritage and natural beauty of our national parks and other national sites. For more information about America the Beautiful Quarters Program educational resources, visit http://www.usmint.gov/kids/teachers/.
Located 20 miles east of Portland and the northern Willamette River Valley, Mount Hood National Forest extends south from the strikingly beautiful Columbia River Gorge across more than 60 miles of forested mountains, lakes and streams to the Olallie Scenic Area. The forest encompasses more than 1.06 million acres. Visitors enjoy fishing, camping, boating and hiking in the summer; hunting in the fall; and skiing and other snow sports in the winter. Two of its many highlights are the Timberline Lodge, a national historic landmark, and the Clackamas Wild and Scenic River. Mount Hood National Forest was established as a national site in 1893.