Monday, May 15, 2006
On May 10th each year, Golden Spike National Historic Site celebrates the anniversary of the completion of the nation’s first transcontinental railroad. This year, 137 years after the original event, the celebration was enhanced by a special visit – Utah governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. was on-hand to announce the design of the Utah quarter.
Over the past several years, hundreds of suggestions were reviewed and narrowed down to three designs – a snowboarder symbolizing Utah’s winter recreation, a beehive representing Utah’s industrious people, and two locomotives and the golden spike, marking the crossroads of the west. The golden spike design was chosen by 52% in an on-line poll.
To wild applause, the governor made the announcement while standing between the working replicas of the locomotives Jupiter and No. 119. Each state governor is required to confirm their state’s quarter design choice in a message to the superintendent of the U.S. Mint. With park superintendent Maggie Johnston looking on, the governor signed the message “This is our choice” on a replica 24k gold plated last spike that was sent to the Mint. Watch for the new quarter, which will appear in October, 2007.
|
