2010 Mount Hood National Forest Quarter
The 2010 Mount Hood National Forest Quarter was the fifth release of the America the Beautiful Quarters Program and the final release for the series during 2010. The quarter design features Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon. The forest was first established as the Bull Run Forest Reserve in 1892 and eventually took on its familiar name in 1924.
The Oregon Quarter released under the previous State Quarters Program had featured Crater Lake National Park. Some of the proposed designs for this quarter had included views of Mount Hood, but these were not ultimately selected.
For the current series, Mount Hood will rightfully take the focus of the coin, with Lost Lake appearing in the foreground. The inscriptions read "Mount Hood", "Oregon", "E Pluribus Unum", and the date "2010". The reverse was designed and sculpted by Phebe Hemphill. The obverse of the coin will feature a portrait of George Washington designed by John Flanagan for the original Washington Quarter. This portrait has been used on the quarter continuously through the original series, the 50 State Quarters Program, District of Columbia & U.S. Territories Quarters Program, and current America the Beautiful Quarters Program.
The Mount Hood National Forest Quarter was officially released into circulation on November 15, 2010. A few days following the United States Mint and National Park Service hosted a presentation ceremony for the coin. The quarter is incorporated into many different numismatic products offered by the US Mint.
About Mount Hood National Forest
Oregon has its fair share of amazing scenery, from bubbling brooks to majestic, ancient trees that seem to extend for miles up into the sky. Just twenty miles from the bustling seafaring city of Portland, one can lose themselves in the over one million acres of the Mt. Hood National Forest. This protected area has provided lifetimes of opportunities to participate in outdoor activities like camping, hiking, fishing, hunting, skiing and boating.
Not only does the Mt. Hood National Forest boast of being home to the volcanic mountain itself, the Forest also extends to include the Columbia River Gorge as well as the Olallie Scenic Area. Many people don’t know that in addition to being the highest mountain in Oregon, Mount Hood is a stratovolcano that many scientists consider to be the mostly likely to erupt in the state although it has been dormant for many years.
In 1893, conservationists moved to create the Cascade Range Forest Preserve which marked the first official federal protection of the area. After several divisions and revisions of the name, the area we know now became the Mt. Hood National Forest in 1924. The Forest is a rare jewel in the collection of National protected areas, as it contains some of the largest portions of untouched wilderness anywhere in the country.
Mount Hood National Forest Quarter Launch Ceremony
On November 17, 2010, the Mount Hood Quarter was officially presented to the public in a ceremony held at the World Forestry Center in Portland, Oregon.
United States Mint Deputy Director Andrew Brunhart remarked, "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."
Also in attendance at the ceremony were Mount Hood National Forest Supervisor Gary Larsen, Oregon Treasurer Ted Wheeler, and chief meteorologist for KGW-TV Matt Zaffino. The ceremony was open to the public and attendees were allowed to exchange currency for rolls of the newly released quarters.
