The
Missouri quarter is the fourth quarter of 2003, and the 24th in the 50
State Quarters® Program. Missouri became the 24th state on August 10,
1821, as a part of the Missouri Compromise. The Missouri quarter depicts
Lewis and Clark's historic return to St. Louis down the Missouri River,
with the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (Gateway Arch) in the
background. The quarter is inscribed "Corps of Discovery 1804-2004."
While
much of the state's history is tied to the mighty rivers that flow
through it, the "Show Me State" got its nickname because of the devotion
of its people to simple common sense. In 1899, Rep. Willard D. Vandiver
said, "Frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I'm from
Missouri. You've got to show me." It is easy to imagine President Thomas
Jefferson saying "show me" as he sent Lewis and Clark forth on their
trek into the uncharted Louisiana Purchase territory. Their 8,000-mile
journey westward and back, which some claim was the greatest U.S.
military expedition ever, began in St. Charles, Missouri -- just 20
miles west of St. Louis -- in 1804 and ended when they returned to St.
Louis, Missouri in 1806.
Source: United States Mint
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