Utah Quarter
Coin Description
The Story
The last quarter released in 2007 honors Utah, the 45th state and the 45th quarter in the 50 State Quarters Program. Utah’s quarter features two trains facing the golden spike that joined the tracks of the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads in 1869 at Promontory, Utah.
The state’s population grew quickly after the railroad was built and the mining industry blossomed. Technological changes like the railroad soon caused industry to replace farming as the base of Utah’s economy.
The newly-laid track made it possible for people to cross the continent of North America by rail. This was the easiest and cheapest way to travel in the days before cars and airplanes. Linking East to West by train changed both the Utah Territory and the rest of the nation forever, and earned Utah the title “Crossroads of the West.”
Utah’s Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., announced the choice for the quarter design at the 137th anniversary of the Joining of the Rails at Promontory on May 10, 2006.
Utah Facts
Nickname: The Beehive State
Capital: Salt Lake City
Statehood: January 4, 1896