Great Smoky Mountains National Park Quarter

The first quarter to be released in 2014 from the US Mint will be the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Quarter struck as part of the Mint’s America the Beautiful Quarters® Program.  This strike honors the park in Tennessee and marks the twenty-first out of 56 quarters to be released through this program.

The Mint releases a total of five coins annually in the series which debuted in 2010 with the Hot Springs National Park Quarter. In 2021, the final coin in the series will be issued with the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site Quarter.

Final designs for this Great Smoky Mountains National Park Quarter should be unveiled by the Mint in late 2013. This will occur after the Treasury Secretary has chosen the final design for the strike based on recommendations from the Mint Director, the United States Commission of Fine Arts, the Citizen’s Coinage Advisory Committee and others.

Following the release in 2014 of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Quarter will be four other quarters.  These include quarters honoring Shenandoah National Park, Arches National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Everglades National Park.


 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park information

Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee has an interesting history, full of struggle.  Early inhabitants of the area were the Cherokee Indians, who were forced out as white settlers began to move in.

As the years went by, deforestation began to be a problem as much of the forest was removed for logging.  The government attempted to create the area into a national park to preserve it, but struggled to do so as there were little funds available.

Eventually, a large contribution of $5 million was made by John D. Rockefeller, which helped establish the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  However, the creation of this park meant the relocation of even more people.

This is not the end of the park’s problems either.  It is considered one of the most polluted national parks in the United States.  This problem does not stop the park from also being one of the most popular in the US as over 9 million people visit a year.

When tourists come, they must prepare for all varieties of weather and wildlife.  The are known to be around 1500 bears living there.  Visitors can also participate in hiking, camping and fishing.