In 1999, the 125th Anniversary of Yellowstone National Park was commemorated with the issue of a Silver Dollar (More Here:
1999 Yellowstone National Park).
1999 Yellowstone National Park 125th Anniversary Silver Dollar
In April 2008, companion bills were introduced in the House of Representatives (by Dennis R. Rehberg, (R-MT)) and in the Senate (by Max Baucus (D-MT)). The bills called for 200,000 Silver Dollars to benefit the Glacier National Park Fund.
As is typical for standalone bills for modern commemorative coins, the bill's language included a list of "Findings" that were meant to provide background informations and support for the bill's coin theme.
"The Congress finds the following:
(1) On May 11, 1910, President William Howard Taft signed a bill establishing Glacier National Park; the Nation's 10th national park.
(2) In 1931, members of the Rotary Clubs of Alberta and Montana suggested joining Glacier National Park with its adjacent cross-border Canadian national park, Waterton Lakes National Park, as a symbol of peace and friendship between the two nations.
(3) In 1932, the United States and Canadian governments agreed to jointly designate the two parks as Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, the world's first.
(4) Both parks are biosphere reserves, and were named as a World Heritage Site in 1995, highlighting the importance of the parks, not just to the United States and Canada, but to the entire world.
(5) Glacier National Park's rugged and soaring mountains, pristine forests, watchable wildlife, alpine meadows, and spectacular lakes have inspired generations of people to explore and experience nature.
(6) Known as "The Crown of the Continent", Glacier National Park, with its awe-inspiring beauty, majesty and grandeur, is an incredible national treasure.
(7) 2010 will mark the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Glacier National Park."The Park's web site describes Glacier National Park as "A showcase of melting glaciers, alpine meadows, carved valleys, and spectacular lakes." I've never been, but it sounds inspiring!
Glacier National Park - Two Medicine Lake
(Image Credit: National Park Service. Public Domain.)The unofficial mascot of Glacier National Park is the mountain goat.
Glacier National Park - Mountain Goat Kid
(Image Credit: National Park Service. Public Domain.)Rehberg's bill was referred to the House Committee on Financial Service; Baucus' bill was sent to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
The bill specified that the coin's designs were to be "emblematic of Glacier National Park and its natural features and wildlife." I can envision a Glacier Park SD taking design cues from the Yellowstone SD to meet its "natural features and wildlife" design requirement.
The issue price for each coin included a $10 surcharge, with the collected funds to be paid to the Glacier National Park Fund of Whitefish, Montana .
"for use in --
(1) supporting the celebration, preservation, and promotion of Glacier National Park; and
(2) maintaining and expanding the infrastructure and facilities of Glacier National Park."Neither bill was reported out of Committee, so the effort to mark Glacier National Park's Centennial with a commemorative Silver Dollar failed to come to fruition.
I have mixed feelings on this one. On one hand, I support nature and wildlife when I can and strongly support the US National Park system. On the other hand, there are many dozens of Parks, Historic Sites, Nature Preserves, Forests, etc. recognized as "National" sites and a commemorative coin program for each of them is not reasonable. I did, however, purchase the complete set of 2019 National Park Service coins - sort of a "universal" support initiative. Hopefully, the surcharge funds collected by that program were distributed fairly and effectively!
For more of my stories about commemorative coins and medals, including other What If? stories, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 09/07/2024 11:27 am
