A head of George Washington, the first President of the United States, facing left.

Designer: John Flanagan (JF), 1932 version from a 1786 bust by Houdon / William Cousins.

Depicts a close view of Camel Rock with natural vegetation in the foreground and a red-tailed hawk soaring in the sky overhead.

The Garden of the Gods, a wilderness area near the Shawnee National Forest’s eastern side, is the one of the region’s most popular natural tourist attractions, drawing sightseers and photographers from around the world and about 150,000 visitors each year. The area is home to Southern Illinois’ most magnificent and recognizable rock formations, sandstone giants that are in many cases named for their shapes, including Camel Rock. Camel Rock has become synonymous with the Shawnee National Forest.

The red-tailed hawk is a bird of prey, one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the "chickenhawk," though it rarely preys on standard sized chickens.It breeds throughout most of North America, from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies, and is one of the most common buteos in North America.

The red-tailed hawk occupies a wide range of habitats and altitudes, including deserts, grasslands, coniferous and deciduous forests, agricultural fields and urban areas. It lives throughout the North American continent, except in areas of unbroken forest or the high arctic. It is legally protected in Canada, Mexico and the United States by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Designer: Justin Kunz (JK)
Engraver: Jim Licaretz (JL)