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South Dakota State Symbols

Welcome to the Coyote State! South Dakota has around 30 official state symbols. They include some of America’s strangest symbols. (Continued below)

South Dakota State Flag
Nicknames & Slogans
Nicknames The Mount Rushmore State, Sunshine State, Coyote State, Blizzard State, Artesian State 1980
Slogan Great Faces, Great Places, 1990
Symbols of State
Motto Under God the People Rule 1885
Song Hail, South Dakota 1943
EcoSymbols
Flower American pasqueflower (Pulsatilla patens) 1903
Tree Black Hills spruce (Picea glauca) 1947
Grass western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii) 1970
Bird ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchichus) 1943
Animal coyote (Canis latrans) 1949
Fish walleye (Sander vitreus) 1982
Insect honeybee (Apis mellifera) Redundant Symbol 1978
Mineral Stone rose quartz 1966
Gemstone Fairburn agate 1966
Jewelry Black Hills gold 1988
Fossil † Triceratops (Triceratops) 1988
Soil Houdek 1990
Cultural Symbols
Bread fry bread 2005
Dessert Kuchen (Recipes) 2000
Nosh Chislic 2018
Drink milk, lac vacuum Redundant Symbol 1986
Sport rodeo 2003
Fishing Museum The Museum of Wildlife, Science and Industry located in the city of Webster 2004
Mining Museum Black Hills Mining Museum in Lead 2014
Hall of Fame The South Dakota Hall of Fame — Chamberlain 1996
Musical Instrument fiddle 1989
Common Language English Redundant Symbol 1995
Flag Pledge 1987

The nickname Coyote State was inspired by a horse, and the state bird was introduced from China. While various states have official minerals and/or stones, South Dakota has an official “mineral stone.” The state fishing museum didn’t even exist when it was adopted. Worst of all is Mt. Rushmore, a monument to four of America’s greatest racists blasted out of rock on Indian land.

To hell with Mt. Rushmore. I grew up in rural West Dakota, and my favorite Dakota icons include the prairie, prairie dogs, mourning doves, grasshoppers, and sweet corn. Yes, I learned to love pheasants, too.

I hate South Dakota’s grotesquely ugly flag, which says nothing about South Dakota. As a son of the prairie, I designed my own West Dakota flag.

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If you think state flags and flowers are nothing more than trivia, guess again. A thorough exploration of the more than 1,500 items adopted as state symbols embraces geography, history, and psychology.

You have found the best state symbols website, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. The introduction above is adapted from Geobop’s State Symbols and My State Symbols Book, by far the biggest and most detailed state symbols references ever. You can learn still more about the symbols of the 50 states in the books Flag Quest and Grading the States. (Learn more about them here.)

After you spend some time exploring your favorite state’s symbols, you can come back here and tell us what you think about them.

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