Chickasaw America the Beautiful Quarter

The 2011 Chickasaw America the Beautiful Quarter is the tenth coin in the America the Beautiful Quarters™ Program, and the final for 2011. Capturing the tranquility of the Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Oklahoma is a challenge for the United States Mint.

Chickasaw National Recreation Area Quarter Design OK-01 (Click to Enlarge)

Chickasaw National Recreation Area Quarter Design OK-02 (Click to Enlarge)

Chickasaw National Recreation Area Quarter Design OK-03 (Click to Enlarge)

The final design has yet to be chosen for the quarter, although four candidates or proposals have been created by the U.S. Mint, as shown above.

Two government groups, the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) and the United States Commission of Fine Arts (CFA), reviewed each, and gave very different recommendations.

"For the coin portraying Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Oklahoma, the committee preferred design OK-01, which features Buffalo Springs amid its stone spillway," the CCAC said in their review. "Members generally appreciated the perspective and composition of this design, particularly the foreground foliage. However, some members were concerned that the human figure would be so small as to be indistinct on the small scale of a coin."

The CFA, on the other hand, did not give a thumbs up to any of the drawings.

"The Commission did not recommend any of the alternatives, again commenting that the scale of the coin does not support detailed landscape depictions," Thomas E. Luebke, Secretary of the CFA, wrote in a release regarding the designs. "The Commission suggested further development and resubmission of the bridge featured in alternative #2 due to its distinctive form and symbolic representation of the site, while simplifying or eliminating the landscape setting."

The U.S. Mint will announce the final design along with the release date for the Chickasaw National Recreation Area quarter at a later time — probably in late 2010 or early 2011. The ultimate decision, after recommendations are forward by the U.S. Mint Director, is up to the Treasury Secretary.

The coins’ obverse (heads side) will feature a restored version of the familiar 1932 portrait of George Washington.

Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Oklahoma

Chickasaw National Recreation Area is known for its fresh water, calming mineral springs, cool streams, and beautiful lakes. It is located in a partially forested area outside Sulphur, OK, which is about 80 miles south of Oklahoma City.

Established in 1902 through an agreement with the Chickasaw and Choctaw Indian Nations and the federal government, this area was originally called Sulphur Springs Reservation. Then in 1906 additional acreage was added, and the reservation was renamed and re-designated Platt National Park.

Most recently, in 1976, officials combined the park with the Arbuckle Recreation Area plus additional lands, and renamed it Chickasaw National Recreation Area.

A few highlights include the Travertine Nature Center and its live animal exhibits, over 20 miles of hiking trails such as the Rock Creek Multi-Use Trail, as well as hunting and fishing. Lake of the Arbuckles and the Lincoln Bridge in the Platt Historic District are also very popular spots within Chickasaw National Recreation Area.