Ozark National Scenic Riverways
A coin depicting Alley Mill, an old water mill standing by clear waters.
Ozark National Scenic Riverways protects the clear rivers of Missouri and the surrounding nature. It is a beautiful region where people enjoy swimming and boating along river channels through which cold, clean water welling up from springs flows.
On the reverse of the coin is engraved an old water mill called ‘Alley Mill.’ This red building standing by the river is a mill that ground grain by the power of water, and it is a precious relic showing the old way of life of this region.
The way water welling up from a spring turns the mill and then flows back to the river shows well how nature and human life have been connected. Though it no longer grinds grain, Alley Mill remains by the water, holding the story of old times.
This river and the surrounding nature were designated a nationally protected site on August 27, 1964, and it is regarded as an early example of a protected area established in the United States to preserve a river itself.
This coin from the ‘America the Beautiful’ series holds the endearing landscape of Missouri, where clear water and an old mill blend together.