Thursday, September 10, 2009

Montana's quarter ...

We're all familiar with the "State Quarters" program sponsored by the US Mint for the last decade, and most of us also remember the Montana entry in that series: a design featuring a Charlie Russell-style bison skull. It's an icon that Montanans understand, but that left a lot of other people scratching their heads (or feeling creeped out, for that matter). I thought we should have put Glacier Park on our quarter, instead.

Well, yesterday the Mint announced the details of its new "National Sites" quarter program, which will include designs featuring a National Park or other important site from each of the states. Montana's choice was a no-brainer, of course, and so in 2011 Glacier Park will finally receive its due and be featured on a US Quarter.

And the news gives me a chance to post another gratuitous Glacier photo here. I took this shot in the Many Glacier valley in the summer of 2003 ... the orange haze is from a huge forest fire that was burning on the other side of the Garden Wall.

Posted by Mark at 8:00 AM
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2 comments:

  1. JennieSeptember 10, 2009 at 10:15 AM

    I love the orange. It balances the blue both artistically and figuratively. This photo, along with the brief history of when it was taken, makes a meaningful statement.

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  2. MarkSeptember 11, 2009 at 9:00 AM

    Thanks, Jen. That was such a memorable afternoon ... I still remember the feeling of heat and quiet there. They evacuated the whole valley a couple of days afterwards, for fear that the fire would spread over the mountain ...

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