Great Sand Dunes National Park will represent Colorado on the next new issue of U.S. quarters. Count us among those excited to see the shiny new coins.
The choice for the dunes was a good one, considering the current model represents our mountains.
In a state blessed with many natural wonders, picking the right scene for the “America the Beautiful” quarters isn’t easy.
Competing for the honor were the Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Mesa Verde and Rocky Mountain national parks.
Fine choices all, and each worthy of the honor.
But it would have been odd to focus only on our mountains, and picking Rocky Mountain National Park would have been a little awkward due to the current commemorative quarter for Colorado.
Debate raged for weeks after then-Gov. Bill Owens said the design for the “50 State Quarters” program was a composite of Colorado fourteeners, or mountains higher than 14,000 feet. Then the artist, Len Buckley, confirmed that the image is based on Longs Peak, which marks the dominant peak within Rocky Mountain National Park.
Hopefully, the cliff dwellings of the Ancestral Puebloans at Mesa Verde and the awesome walls of Black Canyon will be in the running for any future commemorative coins.
We’ve enjoyed the Great Sand Dunes and will again and again. At the base of the Sangre de Cristo mountains in the San Luis Valley, they offer contrasting views of wilderness, desert and rugged peaks that are truly unique.
The designs aren’t yet out. But the artists face a daunting task.
Let’s hope they do the place justice.
