No Shortage of Ideas for New Quarter

By Bill Schneider, 7-07-05

Last week, I wrote column encouraging Montanans to vote for putting the grizzly bear on the new Montana Commemorative Quarter. This seems clearly emblematic of the state and the quarter, especially since the bruin is the official state animal for the same reason.

Based on the good response received by the Montana Quarter Commission, the grizzly probably will at least make the short list. However, the people of the Big Sky State have lots of other ideas on what should be on the quarter. A few other ideas submitted so far include: A depiction of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, Tyrannosaurus Rex (which is not the official state dinosaur, an honor held by the Maiasaura), fly caster on a mountain stream, a rugged ranch hand mending fence, the elk in a mountain meadow, a Charlie Russell painting, a scene from Glacier National Park, a cow, a wheat field, a mine, a logging operation, and others.

Governor Brian Schweitzer has also received a few not-so-serious suggestions such as an American Indian killing Lt. Col. George Custer, "dudes� riding ATVs, and a flaming skeleton riding a motorcycle on the scorched pavement of Montana. For a new motto on the quarter, one resident suggested, “Montana has Crazy Mountains, but we ain't got no mad cows."

The Montana Quarter Commission will review all serious proposals for the new quarter and select three to five for submission to the U.S. Mint. Governor Schweitzer will make the final decision.

Montanans have until Aug. 31 to submit their ideas in narrative form to Sarah Elliott, Governor's Office, Montana State Capitol, Helena, MT 59620-0801. They can be faxed to (406) 444-5529 or can be e-mailed to MontanaQuarter@mt.gov.

Meanwhile in other New West States, Wyoming’s process to select a quarter design is also underway, but the public comment period ended April 30. Most design ideas submitted so far have centered around a bucking horse and rider symbol with other suggestions being Old Faithful or other representations of Yellowstone National Park, Devils Tower, the Grand Teton and Indian paintbrush.

Utah’s public involvement process concluded May 31 with no design selected to date. Idaho is on the same schedule as Montana, Wyoming and Utah, but has not started the public process yet.

The Colorado Quarter comes out in May 2006, and the five designs have already been sent to the U.S. Mint. They all include a backdrop of the Rocky Mountains with one of these special design features: the famous Cliff Palace in Mesa Verde National Park, Pikes Peak with a miner's pick and shovel, an alpine soldier with the words "Birthplace of the 10th Mountain Division." The other two designs have rugged mountain backdrops—one with the inscription "Colorful Colorado" and the other with a columbine flower over the words "The Centennial State." [End of article]