Missouri Statehood, the Postal Service’s latest stamp, was dedicated Aug. 10 on the steps of the Capitol in Jefferson City.
The stamp features two bucolic images from Bollinger Mill State Historic Site: Bollinger’s Mill and Burfordville Covered Bridge.
The two were described as “treasured structures” by Peter Pastre, the USPS government relations and public policy vice president, who spoke at the ceremony.
Other participants included Missouri Gov. Michael L. Parson.
The state known today for its great blues, barbecue and ballgames is rich with history.
It was the westernmost state when it entered the Union on Aug. 10, 1821, and so served as a natural hub for settlers and adventurers heading west. The Lewis and Clark Expedition used it as a muster point for its explorations up the Missouri River.
It boasts unusual geographic diversity, with rolling hills, plains and prairie in the north, the rugged peaks of the Ozark Mountains in the southwest and the alluvial plain of the Mississippi River, with elevations below 500 feet, in the far southeast.
The Forever stamp is the work of landscape photographer Charles Gurche, who began his career in the state, and designed by Greg Breeding.
Missouri Statehood is available in panes of 20 at usps.com and Post Offices nationwide.
