USA state quarters - VIII

Mississippi state quarter

The Mississippi quarter showcases the beauty and elegance of the state flower, combining the blossoms and leaves of two magnolias with the inscription "The Magnolia State".

Although there are several varieties of magnolia found throughout the world, it is the southern magnolia, or Magnolia grandiflora, that is native to the southeastern United States. Boasting large, showy white flowers as big as 15 inches across, they are named for the famed 18th century French botanist Pierre Magnol. Mississippi adopted it as the state flower in 1952.

In 1900, when Mississippi schoolchildren were asked to vote for a state flower, they selected the magnolia over a group that included cape jasmine, yellow jasmine and cotton. The selection remained unofficial, however, as the legislature did not act on the result. A similar election for state tree in 1935 gave the magnolia a landslide victory, one that was made official on April 1, 1938. On February 26, 1952, the Mississippi legislature finally adopted the magnolia as the state flower, opposed by only one vote.

The Mississippi river was home to the fictional character of Tom Sawyer and his adventures, which was made by Mark Twain, also known as the father of American literature.

Minnesota state quarter

The Minnesota state quarter design features a tree-lined lake with two people fishing, a loon on the water, and a textured outline of the State surrounding its nickname, "Land of 10,000 Lakes".

The "Land of 10,000 Lakes" actually contains more than 15,000 such bodies of water whose total shoreline exceeds 90,000 miles - more than California, Hawaii and Florida combined. Equally renowned as the home of the headwaters of the mighty Mississippi River, the name Minnesota is derived from the Dakota Sioux word for "cloudy water".

The natural beauty of Minnesota is vividly depicted on the reverse of this new quarter-dollar. Lined with Norway Pine, many of the lakes throughout the State offer much in the way of outdoor recreation, as well as providing a home for the graceful loon, Minnesota's state bird. Minnesota is also home to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. This one- million acre wilderness area was established by Congress in 1978, and contains more than 1,500 miles of canoe routes and nearly 2,200 designated campsites.

Michigan state quarter

On January 26, 1837, Michigan became the 26th state to be admitted into the Union. The Michigan quarter depicts the outline of the State and the Great Lakes system. The quarter is inscribed "Great Lakes State".

As indicated by the State's nickname, much of Michigan's history is tied to the Great Lakes - Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario. These are five of the world's largest lakes that, together, encompass more than 38,000 square miles and form the largest body of fresh water in the world. Michigan is the only State that borders four of the five Great Lakes, more than any other state. Standing anywhere in the State, a person is within 85 miles of one of the Great Lakes. To assist in navigating, Michigan has 116 lighthouses and navigational lights.

The great lakes are supposed to be the vestiges of the antediluvian lake Agassiz, a prehistoric lake which covered perhaps as much area as half of modern day Canada, and the draining of the lake into the Atlantic Ocean is supposed to have caused the Younger Dryas, a period of rapid temperature drop which is also now recognized as a mini ice age.

Read more: Another ice age cometh?