ake Superior agates. Common loons. Pink and white lady's slippers and Norway pines. Walleyes and wild rice. All are characteristic of , and all capture L the essence of the state. Over the course of Minnesota’s statehood, the Legislature has adopted 17 such symbols to identify the state's great resources and quality of life. The State Seal decreed that the American Indian should 2 face the settler by riding south rather than he Great Seal of Minnesota fleeing west. has been around for 150 years Capt. Seth Eastman, an artist who — even before Minnesota be- was also the commanding officer at Fort State came a state. But its existence has Snelling, designed the seal.▼ not been without controversy. It was on May 25, 1858 Symbols —T two weeks after Minnesota became a The State Flag state — that then Secretary of State Francis Baasen said to Gov. Henry H. Sibley that, he Minnesota state flag was “My office being without a seal, I can of adopted by the Legislature in 1957. The idea was to produce the flag course do no official act unless you make in 1893 when it accepted the more cheaply to urge people to display it some direction in the matter.” design submitted by Amelia in preparation for the state’s centennial in Sibley immediately authorized the Hyde Center of . 1958.▼ use of the territorial seal until a new de- The flag depicts the state seal sign could be created and agreed upon. Ton a blue background. The seal That seal, essentially shows a The State Bird the same one pioneer he Legislature adopted the in use today, plowing common loon as the state E was used the virgin bird in 1961. Since then, it has while the become one of the most revered Legislature and an of Minnesota symbols. debated a American The sleek-looking bird can new one. Indian on attain speeds of up to 60 mph In 1858, horseback. At the top of the seal T and can travel great distances under the Legisla- is the state motto, “L’Etoile du water. The loon’s legs are near the rear of ture approved Nord,” or star of the north. Three its body, enabling it to dive under water a vastly different dates on the flag signify the establishment quickly, quietly and with great speed. seal, but for some reason it was never of historic Fort Snelling in 1819, the But its legs weren’t made for walking. officially adopted into law. Historians acceptance of Minnesota as a state in 1858 The loon earned its name from the old still aren’t sure why, but speculation has and the adoption of the state flag in 1893. English word “lumme,” meaning awkward it that Sibley didn’t like the design and The 19 stars on the flag symbolize person. The loon ventures on land only conveniently “lost” the bill in favor of Minnesota as the 19th state to be admit- when nesting and breeding. And even the territorial design. In any case, the ted to the Union after the original 13. The then, the nest is always near the water. Legislature, in 1861, when notified that largest of these stars is centered above the Its wings are also very small. As a re- the governor may have acted outside his seal to symbolize the north sult, the loon, which averages about 9 authority, approved the design and it was star state. pounds, needs between 20 yards and signed into law. The original a quarter mile to take off. So the essential elements of the flag had two Its distinctive features include a territorial seal — a barefoot settler plowing sides, blue on one side and black-and- a field near the , an white on the other. But because American Indian riding a horse and a the flag was so expensive to sunset — have remained ever since. make, and because it was But these too, have changed slightly easily damaged in high over the years. Prompted by American winds, the Legislature Indian objection, the Legislature, in 1983, adopted the one- sided, all-blue design white checkered pattern on its back and Minnesota’s rarest wildflowers. It blooms marbles. But it’s known by a variety of an intense red eye, which is found only in late June or early July, and it takes other names, too — yellow pike, yellow in adults. Its head is a dark green but is between four and 16 years before the perchpike and yellow pickerel. often mistaken for black. The description plant produces a flower. Under the right Minnesota’s record walleye, caught in applies to both males and females, making conditions, lady's slippers can live for more 1979 in the Sea Gull River at Saganaga it difficult to distinguish them. than 100 years. The pink and white lady's Lake in Cook County, weighed Loons are loners and prefer Minnesota’s slipper can grow to a height of 3 feet and 17 pounds, 8 ounces.▼ isolated lakes, leading some to label their is the tallest of the state’s lady's slippers.▼ distinctive call as “the loneliest voice on earth.”▼ The State Soil ere’s the dirt on Minnesota’s The State Mushroom newest state symbol: The State Flower he morchella esculenta, Although it’s only found ou might think twice before commonly known as the in 17 counties located in picking the Minnesota state morel, sponge mushroom south-, flower — the pink and or honeycomb Lester was designated the white lady's slipper. In 1922, morel, became H state soil in 2012. the Legislature passed a law Minnesota’s Named because of its prevalence in the making it illegal to pick the rare officialT state mushroom area around Lester Prairie, the soil is well- flower that is typically found in in 1984. drained and formed in loamy, calcareous theY swamps, bogs and damp woods of The morel is considered glacial till on ground moraines. Principal northern Minnesota. one of the most highly crops grown in Lester soil are corn and But its history as the state flower began prized and delicious of all soybeans. nearly 30 years prior. It was in 1893, that a edible mushrooms. According to the Minnesota Asso- group of women The morel’s cups resemble ciation of Professional Soil Scientists, the preparing an cone-shaped sponges, pitted impetus behind the naming of a state soil exhibit of like a honeycomb. The morel is to celebrate “a century of soil science the state’s is usually 4 inches to 8 inches high. at the University of Minnesota,” as well products It grows from early May to early June in as the 40th anniversary of MAPSS. The for the the Twin Cities metropolitan area among association chose the dirt as the state’s World’s leaves or wood ashes in open woods, unofficial soil back in 1987. ▼ Fair in along roadsides and in partially shaded Chicago meadowland. ▼ decided The State Gemstone t h e y should The State Fish lthough the Legislature didn’t h a v e adopt the Lake Superior agate f all Minnesota’s state sym- a state as the official state gemstone bols, none is more eagerly flower to until 1969, agates were being sought after than the wall- decorate formed about a billion years eye — the official state fish. their before that. Every year in Minnesota, display. They A As the North American more than 1 million anglers petitioned continent began to split apart (caused take to the water on one of the legislators to adopt O by molten rock moving state’s 1,700 walleye lakes in pursuit of the the wild lady's slipper as the state flower, deep beneath the elusive walleye. and the Legislature complied. But several earth’s surface), In May 1965, the Legislature adopted years later, officials discovered that the wild iron-rich lava the walleye as the state fish. It was chosen lady's slipper named in law didn’t grow in poured out of the for its value to both sport and commercial Minnesota. huge crevasses. These flows fishing. So during the 1902 special session are now exposed along the north and south The walleye gets its name from of the Legislature, a new shores of Lake Superior. its eyes, which have a milky resolution was adopted that The stone’s red appearance like bluish- changed the state flower to color comes w h i t e the pink and white lady's slipper. from iron, A member of the orchid the major family, the pink and white lady's slipper is one of industrial mineral in the state. The concentration of iron, and the extent to The State Photograph The State Grain which the iron has oxidized, determines world-renowned photograph or centuries, wild rice has been the color of the stone. Puddles of quartz- became the state’s 14th state a staple for the American Indians rich solutions that crystallize inside the symbol in 2002. of northern Minnesota. gas pocket under low fluid pressure cause Shot in Bovey, Minn., To recognize that, and the the white bands that are typically found by Eric Enstrom in 1918, fact that Minnesota is a leading in agates. The parallel nature of the bands “Grace” features an elderly producer of natural wild indicates the agate’s position inside the A man sitting pensively with rice in the nation, the his head bowed and hands folded. He is F lava flow. Legislature adopted Characteristics of the agate include a leaning over a table, and on the table is wild rice as the glossy, waxy appearance, a pitted surface a pair of spectacles resting atop a thick official state texture and iron-oxide staining. The stone book, a bowl of gruel, a loaf of bread and grain in 1977. is translucent.▼ a knife. Wild rice, A copy of the state photograph is which is really displayed in the Office of the Secretary a grain, grows naturally in the many lakes of State in St. Paul. and rivers in the northern half of the state. The State Drink Enstrom shot the photograph in black Like oats, the grain of wild rice is and white, but as “Grace” became more surrounded by a hull that is removed n 1984, the Legislature designated milk popular Enstrom’s daughter, Rhoda as the official state drink. Why? For during processing. Nyberg, began hand painting the prints The Ojibwe word for rice is starters, there are many more dairy in oil. ▼ cows than lakes in the state. “manomin,” whose root word is In 2012, Minnesota’s 465,000 milk “mano,” or spirit — an indication of cows produced enough milk to rank how important the rice was and is to Minnesota sixth nationally in milk the Ojibwe. I The rice was traditionally harvested production behind California, Wisconsin, New York, Idaho and Pennsylvania. The by women in late August and early average cow in Minnesota produced about September. Today, the season is regulated 2,268 gallons in 2012. by the Minnesota Department of Natural In 2012, Minnesota farmers marketed Resources. nearly $1.76 billion in milk. Sticks or flails, no longer than 30 inches While state whey production is long, are used to bend the wild rice grass increasing, the greatest percentage of milk into a boat or canoe. The stalks are then produced is used to make butter, cheese, gently flailed to knock the grains loose The State Muffin ▼ ice cream and yogurt. ▼ and into the boat or canoe. s an exercise to see how a bill becomes law, a class of third-graders from South Terrace Elementary The State Butterfly School in Carlton, Minn., proposed that innesota may not be the A the blueberry muffin only place where the Mon- be designated as the state muffin. arch butterfly is easily spot- In 1988, their bill was signed into law. ted, but the popular flut- The idea for the blueberry muffin bill arose tering insect was named in a social studies class when the the state butterfly by the third graders were study- M Legislature in 2000. ing the state’s symbols. A group of fourth-graders from O.H. They asked themselves Anderson Elementary School a question: If Minnesota in Mahtomedi, Minn., were to have a state food, proposed the idea what would it be? The for the answer they gave was state the blueberry muffin. butterfly They reasoned that wild t o t h e blueberries are plentiful and popular in Legislature northern Minnesota, and farmers from while across the state grow wheat.▼ combining two school projects — studying various butterflies and learning about the aimed to develop fruit that could thrive in lawmaking process. The State Tree colder climates. The original seedling was The Monarch is one of six popular any people are familiar planted in 1962, and the Honeycrisp apple families of butterflies in Minnesota. with the description that was formally introduced in 1991. ▼ Distinguished by their distinctive orange- American Indians gave brown wings, marked by black veins and to the Mississippi River: a black border with two rows of spots, father of waters. But The State Song Monarchs cannot stand the cold winters far fewer know that the Ojibwe refer to ou rarely hear it on the radio, here and will migrate south to Mexico M and it has never made the every fall. Those that survive the winter Norway, or red, pine trees as “grandfathers.” top 40, but that doesn’t mean travel north to Minnesota and Canada it’s not a popular song — es- throughout the spring, laying eggs along In 1953, Minnesota adopted the Norway pecially among Minnesotans. the way. August is the best month to see The song is “Hail! Monarchs in Minnesota. ▼ pine as the state tree. Norway pines typically Minnesota,” and it has been theY state song since 1945. reach heights of 80 feet The State Sport and diameters of up to The song dates back to 1904 3 feet; exceptional trees when it was sung in a University ince its inception, the have grown as high as of Minnesota play, “The Apple of Minnesota Wild has 150 feet and as wide Discord, a Travesty,” a comedy referenced Minnesota as the as 5 feet. about a football game. State of Hockey. The largest Norway The song was originally In 2009, the Legislature pine in Minnesota is in Itasca State Park. written by student made ice hockey the official The tree is over 120 feet tall and is more Truman E. Rickard, state sport — two years after than 300 years old. It’s called a red pine then later rewritten by another Sfifth-graders from Groveland Elementary student, Arthur Upson. because of the pale red color of its heart- School in Minnetonka, Minn., proffered wood and the reddish color of its bark. ▼ Through the 1920s, legislators battled the idea. over state song proposals and considered In addition to the Wild, which began at least four, but reached no agreement. play in the National Hockey League The State Fruit Finally, “Hail! Minnesota” was proposed. in October 2000, n assignment to write a In 1945, the university gave permission the state has five persuasive letter ultimately to the state to use it, as did Rickard Division I collegiate led to the Honeycrisp apple (Upson had died). Then the words were men’s and women’s being deemed the state changed slightly from “Hail to thee our teams and has the fruit in 2006. college dear,” to “Hail to thee our state greatest number of The fourth-grade so dear.” ▼ high school hockey A students from Andersen players in the country Elementary School in Hail! Minnesota with 9,613 participants Bayport, Minn., and their Minnesota, hail to thee! Hail to thee our state so dear, on 121 girls and 155 teacher, Laurel Avery, Thy light shall ever be boys teams during the 2012-13 school testified and sat A beacon bright and clear. year. Minnesota Hockey, the statewide in on House Thy sons and daughters true governing body of amateur hockey, and Senate Will proclaim thee near and far, estimates 75,000 Minnesotans play committee They will guard thy fame organized hockey, with countless others he a r i n g s And adore thy name; playing informally at neighborhood on the bill Thou shalt be their Northern Star. outdoor rinks. throughout St. Paul-native Herb Brooks, who also the process. Like the stream that bends to sea, Like the pine that seeks the blue; coached at the University of Minnesota They were also present in the House Minnesota, still for thee and for the Minnesota North Stars ( the gallery for the bill’s passage. Thy sons are strong and true. state’s former NHL team), led the U.S. The Honeycrisp apple was produced From thy woods and waters fair; hockey team to a gold medal at the 1980 from a 1960 cross of the Macoun and From thy waving far, Winter Olympics, often referred to as the Honeygold varieties, as part of a Univer- At thy call they throng “Miracle on Ice.” sity of Minnesota apple breeding program With their shout and song; The United States Hockey Hall of Fame Hailing thee their Northern Star. is located in Eveleth. ▼ 1904

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