Great Basin National Park
A Nevada national park engraved with the bristlecone pine, which lives for thousands of years.
Great Basin National Park is a national park located in the state of Nevada, in the western United States. The “Great Basin” of its name refers to a broad arid region where river water cannot flow out to the sea but is trapped within the interior land, and this park lies right at its heart, holding special natural features such as high mountains, ancient trees, and deep caves.
The star of the coin’s reverse is a single bristlecone pine. Its twisted branches and sturdy trunk are engraved just as they are, vividly showing the appearance of a tree that has endured wind and rain over long years.
The bristlecone pine is counted among the longest-living trees on earth. Living for thousands of years, this tree grows slowly but very tenaciously in barren, cold highlands. For that reason, a single one of these trees is regarded as a symbol of the enduring power of life.
This region was first designated as a nationally protected site (Lehman Caves National Monument) on January 24, 1922, and later the surrounding area was expanded into a national park. Instead of showy peaks, the park’s individuality lies in featuring a quietly long-living tree.
This coin in the America the Beautiful series lets us encounter, in the palm of the hand, not a striking size but the dignity of life shaped by long stretches of time.