US #5698f
2022 Kentucky – Mighty Mississippi
- 1 of 10 stamps in the Mighty Mississippi set
- Honors the Mississippi River and its important role in commerce, culture, and more
- Represents the Mississippi’s path through Kentucky
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Mighty Mississippi
Value: First Class ... more
US #5698f
2022 Kentucky – Mighty Mississippi
- 1 of 10 stamps in the Mighty Mississippi set
- Honors the Mississippi River and its important role in commerce, culture, and more
- Represents the Mississippi’s path through Kentucky
Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Mighty Mississippi
Value: First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue: May 23, 2022
First Day City: Memphis, Tennessee
Quantity Issued: 40,000,000 stamps
Printed by: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method: Offset
Format: Panes of 10
Tagging: Nonphosphored Type III Block Tag
Why the stamp was issued: To honor the Mississippi River and the impact it has on the state of Kentucky.
About the stamp design: Pictures a photograph of a bend in the Mississippi River from a viewpoint along its banks in Kentucky.
First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held in Memphis, Tennessee, at Beale Street Landing overlooking the Mississippi River.
About the Mighty Mississippi set: Includes 10 stamps picturing scenic views of the Mississippi River from the different states it passes through on its way from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana.
The designs picture the quiet scenic views of the Upper Mississippi as well as the bustling transportation highway that is the Lower Mississippi. There’s also a stamp picturing the Great River Road. This series of connected roads follows the Mississippi River all the way from Minnesota to Louisiana. One design pictures a vintage steamboat, an iconic symbol of the American South. There’s also a modern barge transporting goods, an impressive bridge spanning the width of the river, and stunning wetland habitat supported by the river’s floodplain.
The reverse side of the pane of stamps pictures a map of the central United States showing the Mississippi River’s course and its major tributaries.
History the stamp represents: A particularly famous part of the Mississippi River is the area known as the Kentucky Bend, New Madrid Bend, Bessie Bend, or Bubbleland. It is a meander (a sharp curve in the river tracking from side to side) that is part of southwestern Kentucky. The Kentucky Bend forms a peninsula jutting into the Mississippi River and, as of 2010, there were 18 people living on the peninsula.
The Kentucky Bend has been the site of several interesting events over the years. For example, from 1811 to 1812, a series of earthquakes (known as the New Madrid series) shook the area. These quakes were so powerful that the flow of the river was disrupted and, at one point, was even said to have started flowing backward. The area was also the site of the Battle of Island Number Ten from February 28 to April 8, 1862, during the American Civil War.
Due to the routine flooding of the Mississippi, the land around the Kentucky Bend is known to be highly effective farmland. From the late 1800s to early 1900s, this translated to an abundance of cotton fields. Over 300 people populated the area during this time, including African Americans who worked planting and harvesting the cash crop.
Today, the Kentucky Bend is a great place to enjoy the natural scenic beauty of the Mississippi River.
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