About This Stamp
The U.S. Postal Service® celebrated the grandeur of the Columbia River Gorge with a Priority Mail Express™ stamp in 2016. Expansive and breathtaking, the Columbia River Gorge is a natural wonder of the Pacific Northwest. Approximately 80 miles long and up to 4,000 feet deep, the gorge runs along the Columbia River, which forms part of the border between Oregon and Washington.
The stamp art depicts the majestic gorge as sunset approaches. Showing a view facing east, the design captures the beauty of the Columbia River Gorge as it winds its way through the steep cliffs of the Cascade Mountain Range. The historic Vista House, sitting atop Crown Point and overlooking the river 725 feet below, shimmers in the golden light of the setting sun.
The first Europeans viewed the Columbia River Gorge in 1792 during Captain George Vancouver's exploration of the Pacific region. In 1805 and 1806, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark traversed the rugged gorge on their exploration of the American West. The Columbia River also helped thousands of pioneers migrate to the Pacific Northwest along the Oregon Trail during the 1800s. The Historic Columbia River Highway, completed in 1922, stretches approximately 75 miles along the Columbia River, the same route taken by these explorers and pioneers.
Formed by ancient volcanic activity, glacial flows, and massive ice age floods, the gorge where the Columbia River cuts through the Cascades consists of four major ecosystems. The diversity of the gorge’s landscapes makes it hospitable to a wide variety of plant and animal life.
On November 17, 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed into law the National Scenic Area Act. In so doing, the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area was created. The Scenic Area boundary encompasses more than 290,000 acres and includes 13 designated urban areas. The United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service and the bi-state Columbia River Gorge Commission jointly manage the Scenic Area. Working with local agencies in Oregon and Washington for 30 years, the Forest Service has helped maintain, restore, and protect the natural splendor and abundant resources of the Columbia River Gorge.
Designed by art director Phil Jordan, the stamp features a digital illustration created by Dan Cosgrove.
Stamp Art Director, Designer, and Typographer
Phil Jordan
Phil Jordan grew up in New Bern, North Carolina, and attended East Carolina University. After Army service in Alaska, he graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University with a degree in visual communications. He worked in advertising and in design at a trade association before joining Beveridge and Associates, Inc., where he provided art direction for corporate, institutional, and government design projects. A partner in the firm, he left after 18 years to establish his own design firm where he managed projects for USAir, NASA, McGraw-Hill, IBM, and Smithsonian Books, among others. He was Design Director of Air & Space/Smithsonian magazine for 15 years. His work appeared in numerous exhibitions and publications such as Graphis and Communications Arts. A past president of the Art Directors Club of Metropolitan Washington, he was an art director for the U.S. Postal Service from 1991 to 2014. A resident of Falls Church, Virginia, he is a retired glider pilot and a member of the Skyline Soaring Club.
Stamp Artist
Dan Cosgrove
A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Dan Cosgrove graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1978 with a major in graphic design. After briefly working for the National Park Service in Denver and as a designer at Cato Johnson in Cincinnati, Cosgrove moved to Chicago in 1980 and began a freelance career in digital and traditional illustration.
Cosgrove's designs have appeared in numerous ads, posters, covers, and on packaging. Recent clients include Cunard Line, Dunlop Tire, Fiat, J P Morgan Chase, Miller Brewing Company, Netflix, The New York Times, Shell Oil company, SohoPress, and The Wall Street Journal. In recognition of his work Cosgrove has received awards from Communications Arts and the Society of Illustrators (Gold Medal).
The 2008 Express Mail® and Priority Mail® stamps featuring Mount Rushmore and Hoover Dam were Cosgrove's first projects for the U.S. Postal Service. Since then, Cosgrove has illustrated 27 additional Express Mail and Priority Mail Express stamps. Recent designs include Florida Everglades (Priority Mail) (2023), Great Smoky Mountains (Priority Mail Express) (2023), Monument Valley (Priority Mail) (2022), and Palace of Fine Arts (Priority Mail Express) (2022). He also created the stamp art for USS Missouri (2019).
Cosgrove and his wife live in Clarendon Hills, Illinois.