A reference book states that most US states have nicknames. Can anyone tell me what Flickertail (North Dakota), Tar Heel (North Carolina) and Sooner (Oklahoma) are supposed to represent or what they are?

mibmob

http://www.geobop.com/World/NA/US/ND/Mammal.htm richardson's Ground Squirrel is a Flickertail http://firstnccav.home.mindspring.com/tarheel.html Tar heel was a term of ridicule in the Civil War and referred to the resin on the bare feet of the young soldiers. http://www.namely-yours.com/namesstates3.php#OKLAHOMA - (OK) The sooners were those who entered the state before the official time it was opened to settlers Mar 28 02, 5:19 PM

balconyview

(Sorry about the one above - the cat jumped) During the late 1800s in Oklahoma, there was talk of using Indian Territory for settlement by African-Americans emancipated from slavery. However, the government relented to pressure, much of it coming from a group know as 'Boomers,' who wanted the rich lands opened to non-Indian settlement. The government decided to open the western parts of the territory to settlers by holding a total of six land runs between 1889 and 1895. Settlers came from across the nation and even other countries like Poland, Germany, Ireland and Slavic nations to stake their claims. And African-Americans, some who were former slaves of Indians, took part in the runs or accepted their allotments as tribal members. At the time the land was opened for settlement, the 'Boomers' were the citizens who legally settled the land when the shotgun signaled the opening of the land-run. The 'Sooners' were ones who snuck accross the landrun lines into the choice areas for settlement and staked their claim -- albeit illegally -- but no one slowed down long enough to complain because they had to get to the next possible site before someone else. On November 16, 1907, Oklahoma became the 46th state. Apr 10 02, 12:38 AM