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Midwestern State Nicknames Trivia Quiz
Every state in the United States has a nickname, either officially adopted or unofficially popular. In this labeling quiz, the twelve states of the American Midwest are shown on the image. Label each state with its nickname. Enjoy the quiz!
The Great Lakes StateThe Cornhusker StateThe Peace Garden StateThe Sunflower StateThe Mount Rushmore StateThe Prairie StateThe Hoosier StateThe Hawkeye StateThe Badger StateThe Show-Me StateThe North Star StateThe Buckeye State* Drag / drop or click on the choices above to move them to the answer list. View Image Attributions for This Quiz
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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The Peace Garden State
North Dakota's official nickname is "The Peace Garden State." The moniker was formally adopted by the state legislature in 1957. Previous proposals failed to alternatively adopt "Flickertail State" and "Roughrider State." North Dakota is home to the International Peace Garden, the namesake for its nickname. The International Peace Garden is a lush and beautiful park straddling the border between North Dakota and Manitoba, the peaceful gardens symbolizing the peaceful relationship between the United States and Canada.
Western North Dakota is home to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, a rugged area of the badlands where Roosevelt once lived, now a national park and wildlife refuge. Among the natural beauty, Roosevelt's cabin has been preserved, though not in its original location.
2. The Mount Rushmore State
The official nickname of South Dakota is "The Mount Rushmore State." Previously, the official nickname was "The Sunshine State," a nickname that appeared on the state flag. But legislation was passed in 1992 to legally change the nickname to "The Mount Rushmore State," including a change to the state flag.
South Dakota is home to the iconic and inspirational Mount Rushmore, in the rugged Black Hills, on which is carved the images of four past presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt. The presidents' depictions were originally intended to go down to the waist, but funding ran out in 1941. Construction on a rival Crazy Horse Memorial began in 1948 as a tribute to the Lakota warrior who fought against American expansion into sacred native land.
3. The Cornhusker State
Nebraska has been officially nicknamed "The Cornhusker State" since 1945. One early nickname was "The Bug Eaters" before being nicknamed "The Tree Planter State" in 1895, prior to the rise of "The Cornhusker State." The term "Cornhusker" was originally adopted by the University of Nebraska football (gridiron) team, replacing the "Bug Eater" moniker. The term "Cornhusker" grew to be associated with the state of Nebraska as a whole, with the state adopting the nickname as its own.
Nebraska is not simply full of corn and those who husk it. The state is home to several historic natural parks and monuments, including Scott's Bluff National Monument, an inspiring and somewhat alien outcropping of rocks near the North Platte River. The bluffs served as landmarks marking the trails for pioneers heading west, including on the Oregon Trail.
4. The Sunflower State
Kansas is officially nicknamed "The Sunflower State." The sunflower was named the official state flower in 1903, and the official nickname followed. Sunflowers are native to the western Americas, and they can be found in every county in Kansas, but they have now spread throughout much of the world. The sunflower is also the official flower of Ukraine, which like Kansas, yields significant wheat crops. Sunflowers were also the subject of a series of Van Gogh paintings. As sunflowers are heliotropic, meaning they follow the sun in the direction they face throughout the day, some have interpreted the sunflower as a symbol of loyalty.
The state of Kansas is also home to some unique rock formations, including Monument Rocks, Castle Rock, and Mushroom Rock State Park. The mushroom rocks are sandstone cemented by calcium carbonate, remnants from the Cretaceous Period, when Kansas was a sandy beach.
5. The Show-Me State
Missouri is popularly known as "The Show-Me State." There are competing theories as to the origin. One legend has the term originating in the mines of Colorado, where in the 1890s, prospective, unskilled miners from Missouri needed to be shown how to properly do the work. The most popular legend dates to an 1899 speech by Congressman Willard Vandiver at a naval banquet, in which he stated, "I am from Missouri. You have got to show me." While "Show-Me State" is used on vehicle license plates, Missouri is sometimes called "The Ozark State" or "Gateway to the West."
In St. Louis, Missouri, the Gateway Arch became the tallest national monument when it was built in 1935. It was symbolically known as "The Gateway to the West," commemorating the start of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, or the Corps of Discovery. The arch was officially known as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial until 2018, when the federal government redesignated it as Gateway Arch National Park.
6. The Hawkeye State
Iowa is known as "The Hawkeye State." There are a few competing stories as to the origin of the nickname. One theory lists it as a tribute to the character in "The Last of the Mohicans." Another theory links it to Chief Black Hawk, a Sauk Chief and local legend. The origin of "Hawkeye" as a nickname for Iowans, specifically, is often attributed to Judge David Rorer, who published anonymously in newspapers as "A Wolverine Among the Hawkeyes," adamantly referring to residents of Iowa Territory as Hawkeyes.
Iowa is also home to Effigy Mounds National Monument, a range of pre-Columbian mounds, located near the Mississippi River. Pikes Peak State Park, in the northeast corner of the state along the Mississippi River, was named after Zebulon Pike, who is also the namesake of the famous mountain in Colorado. Iowa is also home to Maquoketa Caves State Park.
7. The North Star State
Officially, Minnesota is nicknamed "The North Star State." It stems from the state motto, "L'Étoile du Nord," French for "The Star of the North," which was adopted in 1861 when Minnesota was the northernmost state. The French motto appeared on the state flag until 2024, when the flag was redesigned with a simple North Star.
Minnesota is perhaps more popularly known as "The Land of 10,000 Lakes." The state in fact boasts 11,842 lakes greater than 4 hectares (10 acres) in surface area. Minnesota claims a portion of Lake Superior as one of its many lakes, which is shared between Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ontario, Canada. Outside of the Great Lakes, Voyageurs National Park is along Rainy Lake, near International Falls and the Canadian border.
8. The Badger State
The unofficial nickname of Wisconsin is "The Badger State." Though Wisconsin is typically associated with dairy cattle, the state does have a healthy badger population. The badger was named the official state animal in 1957. In 1971, Wisconsin declared the dairy cow as the state's official domestic animal, as its own distinction. The badger nickname dates back to the 1830s. Legend has it that during a lead mining boom, miners were too busy getting rich while working in the mines, that they had no time to build proper houses, so they lived in the mines, like badgers in burrows.
Wisconsin is also rich in natural beauty. In the state's north, Apostle Islands National Lakeshore graces the coast of Lake Superior, with beaches, cliffs and wildlife among twenty one islands. Wisconsin also enjoys a significant shoreline along Lake Michigan to the state's east. High Cliff State Park, along Lake Winnebago, is blessed with cliffs that form the edge of the Niagara Escarpment.
9. The Prairie State
The state of Illinois has officially adopted the nickname "The Prairie State." The name dates back to settlers in the 1840s encountering endless prairie land. Lesser known is that earlier in the 19th century, Illinois was informally known as "The Sucker State," with varying explanations as to the origin and meaning. Many may be more familiar with the official state slogan, "The Land of Lincoln," which was formally adopted in 1955 in honor of Abraham Lincoln. Though Lincoln was born in Kentucky, he spent much of his pre-presidency adult life in Illinois.
Illinois is not all prairie land. Northern Illinois is home to Starved Rock State Park and the nearby Matthiesen State Park, woodland with hiking trails and waterfalls along the Illinois River and smaller tributaries. In Springfield, Illinois, is Lincoln Home National Historic Site, the house where Abraham Lincoln lived from 1844 to 1861, before moving to the White House.
10. The Hoosier State
Indiana has officially been known as "The Hoosier State" since the 19th century. The meaning of the word "Hoosier" seems to be unique as a demonym for the people of Indiana. The true origin may have been lost to history, though there are many scholarly theories and folklore as to the term's origin. One study related the term to the Old English word "hoo," for "hill," another to the Reverend Harry Hosier, who preached the greatness of the American frontier, and another theory that the word is a morphing of the French word for "red-faced." Regardless of the term's origin, citizens of Indiana, The Hoosier State, are Hoosiers, plain and simple.
The Hoosier State is home to Indiana Dunes National Park, which was designated a national park in 2019. The sprawling park is home to sand dunes, hiking trails, and lush nature along the shores of Lake Michigan, along with several rivers and creeks. One feature of the park is a giant sand dune named Mount Baldy. It is considered to be a "wandering dune," as wind and general erosion cause it to continually shift location.
11. The Great Lakes State
Michigan has four primary nicknames, but "The Great Lakes State" is perhaps the best well known, as it was previously printed on state license plates, as well as on the state quarter. Michigan is the only state to border four of the five Great Lakes, including Lake Michigan, the only one of the Great Lakes to share a name with a state.
One of the state's traditional nicknames is "The Wolverine State," though prior to 2004, no wolverine was seen in Michigan for the previous 200 years. The wolverine is also the official state animal. Legend has it that the Wolverine name stems from Michigan's status as a fur trading hub, while the Michigan Brigade in the American Civil War was nicknamed "The Wolverines."
In Lake Superior, Isle Royale National Park is within Michigan's maritime border just south of Ontario, Canada. Isle Royale is the second largest island in the Great Lakes. Isle Royale contains Siskiwit Lake, which contains islands itself. Ryan Island, in Siskiwit Lake, is considered to be the "Largest island in the largest lake on the largest island in the largest lake in the world."
12. The Buckeye State
Ohio's official nickname is "The Buckeye State," a nickname for Ohioans that, by some accounts, predates statehood. The buckeye is a tree species native to Ohio and much of the central United States. The name of the tree is due to the resemblance of the tree's nuts to a deer's eyes, or eyes of the buck. The wood is soft and of little use as timber, and the nuts are inedible, poisonous to humans. The buckeye is the official state tree of Ohio. The nickname gained popularity during the presidential campaign of William Henry Harrison in 1840, as emblems and souvenirs were carved from buckeye wood in support of the campaign.
Northeast Ohio is home to Cuyahoga Valley National Park, along the Cuyahoga River. The Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area was created in 1974 to preserve the natural landscape of the Cuyahoga Valley and protect it from urban sprawl between Cleveland and Akron. The site was upgraded to national park status in the year 2000.
This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
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