History of the

Sacajawea Gold Dollar

(2000 to Date)

 

Sacagawea Golden Dollars

Authorized by the United States $1 Coin Act of 1997, the new Golden Dollar coin replaces the current Susan B. Anthony (SBA) Dollar Coin, which has circulated since 1979. Because demand has increased for a dollar coin in commerce, the government's supply of SBA dollars is nearly exhausted, and there is now a need for a new Golden Dollar coin that will be easily distinguishable from other change. The increase in demand is attributable to a growing recognition in the vending industry of the benefits of dollar coins, including the convenience that comes from more rapid transactions.

 

Sacagawea or Sacajawea?

Various historians disagree over the pronunciation, meaning- either "Boat Launcher" or "Bird Woman", and spelling of her name - listed as either Sacagawea or Sacajawea, as well as a few other spellings, but all agree that her bravery and fortitude were instrumental to the success of Lewis & Clark's "Corps of Discovery."

I have decided to use the spelling "SACAJEWEA" for my web page about new dollar coin, even there is new evidence on the spelling based on several contemporary works on this topic. I grew up and was taught that it was spelled "Sacajawea".

To quote from a recent publication:

"Translated, her name means 'Bird Woman,' and in their attempts to spell the Indians words, Lewis and Clark used variations of 'Sah-ca-gah-we-ah' and 'Sah-kah-gar-we-a.' (In 1814, when a version of the journals appeared, an editor changed the spelling to Sacajawea, which was the preferred spelling until recently, when most historians and official publications reverted back to Sacagawea.)

 

Lewis & Clark. The Journey of the Corps of Discovery. An Illustrated History by Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1997. Page 92.

Additional references to the Sacagawea spelling can be found in Stephen E. Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage (Simon & Schuster, 1996) and on PBS's Web site for its critically acclaimed series on the Lewis and Clark expedition.

 

The beautiful new coin features distinguishing traits including: a golden color, extra-wide border, smooth edge like the nickel's, and specially designed alloy.

Specifically, the Golden Dollar is: 8.1 grams in weight, 2mm thick, and 26.5mm in diameter.

The coin's physical makeup is a three-layer composite construction - pure copper sandwiched between and metallurgically bonded to outer layers of manganese brass. This alloy is a golden-colored material composed of:

77% copper
12% zinc
7% manganese
4% nickel.

Including the copper core, the Golden Dollar's overall composition is:

88.5% copper
6.0% zinc
3.5% manganese
2% nickel

 

Glenna Goodacre's Obverse Design

The Golden Dollar's front has Sacagawea portrayed in three-quarter profile. On her back, Sacagawea carries Jean Baptiste, her infant son. Six months pregnant when she joined the Lewis and Clark expedition, Sacagawea gave birth to Jean Baptiste early in the journey.

In rendering Sacagawea, Goodacre included the large, dark eyes attributed to her in Shoshone legends. Goodacre also used a present-day Shoshone college student as her model.

 

Thomas D. Rogers, Sr.'s Reverse Design

The Golden Dollar's back has a soaring American Bald Eagle, our nation's symbol. It is encircled by 17 stars - one for each state in the union at the time of the 1804 Lewis and Clark expedition.

 

The Life of Sacagawea

Our parents and grandparents learned all about her. Our children know about her, too, as today her story is taught in classrooms across our nation.

Sacagawea was the Shoshone Indian who assisted the historic Lewis and Clark expedition. Between 1804-1806, while still a teenager, she guided the adventurers from the Northern Great Plains to the Pacific Ocean and back. Her husband, Toussaint Charbonneau, and their son who was born during the trip, Jean Baptiste, also accompanied the group.

Without Sacagawea's navigational, diplomatic, and translating skills, the famous Lewis and Clark expedition would have perished. For one, she helped Lewis and Clark obtain the horses they needed to continue their journey.

Now, almost 200 years later, the resourceful Native American steps back into the limelight. Sacagawea replaces suffragette Susan B. Anthony as the image on the dollar coin. Soon everyone who handles the Golden Dollar will remember the brave 15-year-old who, carrying her child on her back, guided an unprecedented mission.

 

What did Sacagawea look like?

More statues, streams, lakes, landmarks, parks, songs, ballads, and poems honor this young woman than any other woman in American history. Yet, no portraits created during her lifetime exist. Even Lewis and Clark's journals don't include sketches or other clues as to what she really looked like.

 

 

 

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