South
Dakota is famous for the scenic wonders of the Badlands, the Black Hills,
and, of course, Mt. Rushmore. Prairie, grassland, and farmland cover 90%
of the state, where buffalo once ranged in herds of thousands.
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Mount Rushmore National Memorial
Courtesy: SD Office of Tourism |
Dynamic historical figures like Lewis and Clark, Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane,
Sitting Bull, and General George Custer have all added to the colorful past of South Dakota. When Custer's military band
found gold in the Black Hills in 1874, word of the discovery reached back east to Chicago, and the Gold Rush followed. By
1876, prospecting towns like Dead Tree Gulch exploded with fortune seekers lured by the glitter of gold.
Before it closed in 2002, South Dakota's Homestake Mine was the oldest, largest, and
deepest mine in the western hemisphere and one of the largest gold producers in the United States. To find out more about
the Homestake Mine, you can visit the Homestake Visitor Center,
on West Main Street in Lead, South Dakota.
| THE NAME:
North and South Dakota were one territory until 1889. Dakota was named for the Dakota, Sioux tribe which
lived in the region. Dakota is the Sioux word for "friends" or "allies."
Source: Shearer, Benjamin F. and Barbara S.
State
Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut - 1994 |
| THE NICKNAMES:
The Mount Rushmore State: This is the official nickname of South Dakota and appears on the
South Dakota State Flag. Referring to the
fantastic mountain sculpture
created by Gutzon Borglum over a period of 14 years, this nickname has been codified in the South Dakota State
Statutes as:
1-6-16.5. State nickname. "The Mount Rushmore State" is hereby designated
as the official nickname of the State of South Dakota.
The Sunshine State: South Dakota has been promoted as "The Sunshine State" in state publications
promoting tourism because of the great percentage of sunshine that is present during the year.
The Coyote State: This nickname simply refers to the large coyote population in the state. Coyotes
were so numerous in South Dakota that they were adopted as the Official State Animal in 1949.
Coyotes occur in greatest numbers along the Missouri River and its tributaries and in the Black Hills.
The Artesian State: Another nickname for South Dakota made reference to the large number of artesian
wells that were found in the state.
The Blizzard State The severe winter weather of South Dakota led to another nickname; The Blizzard
State. We don't suppose those who promoted South Dakota as The Sunshine State were too fond of this particular
nickname. Texas is also known as "The Blizzard State."
South Dakota has also been referred to as "The Land of Plenty" and "The Land of Infinite Variety." When
both North and South Dakota are the subject, they are sometimes referred to as The Twin Sisters.
Source: Shearer, Benjamin F. and Barbara S. State
Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut - 1994
Shankle, George Earlie, Phd State Names, Flags, Seals, Songs, Birds, Flowers and
Other Symbols H. H. Wilson Company, New York - 1938 (Reprint) |
THE CITIZENS:
People who live in South Dakota or who come from South Dakota are called South Dakotans. |
THE QUARTER:
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| U.S. Mint Image
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The fifth and final commemorative quarter-dollar coin released in 2006 honors South Dakota, the "Mount Rushmore State," and is the 40th coin in the United States Mint's 50 State Quarters® Program. Admitted into the Union on November 2, 1889, South Dakota became the Nation's 40th state. The release of this quarter signals the end of the eighth year of the 50 State Quarters Program.
The South Dakota quarter features an image of the State bird, a Chinese ring-necked pheasant, in flight above a depiction of the Mount Rushmore National Monument, featuring the faces of four American Presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. The design is bordered by heads of wheat. The coin's design also bears the inscriptions "South Dakota" and "1889."
Sculptor Gutzon Borglum began drilling into Mount Rushmore, the 5,725-foot peak rising above Harney National Forest, in 1927. Creation of the "Shrine of Democracy" took 14 years and cost approximately $1 million, though it is now deemed priceless.
The South Dakota Quarter Advisory Committee began accepting ideas from the citizens of South Dakota via telephone, letters and e-mail. A group of five possible narratives was agreed upon and forwarded to the United States Mint for consideration. The final artistic renderings, developed by the sculptor-engravers of the United States Mint and artists in the United States Mint's Artistic Infusion Program, were returned to South Dakota, and a statewide vote was conducted. On April 27, 2005, South Dakota Governor M. Michael Rounds announced his recommendation of the "Mount Rushmore and Pheasant" design, echoing the choice of those who participated in the statewide vote.
The Department of the Treasury approved the design on May 28, 2005. The other design concepts considered during the final selection process were "Mount Rushmore National Monument," featuring a three-quarter view of the famous mountain carving; "American Bison," depicting the classic animal symbol of the west; "Chinese Ring-necked Pheasant," featuring an image of the state bird in flight; and "Mount Rushmore and Bison," which placed an American bison in the foreground and Mount Rushmore in the background.
For more on the state commemorative quarters, visit this page.
This 50 State Quarter Map is a great way to collect and display all 50 State Quarters. |
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