Giant Monuments

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North Dakota is a state with grain farms and cattle ranches. Its name came from the Dakota division of the Sioux Indianans who lived here before the Europeans arrived. To them “dakota” meant “friend”. This is the state that is home to The International Peace Garden which is on the border and connects the state with Manitoba, Canada. Therefore the nickname of the state is the “Peace Garden State”. It is the 39th state and its capital is Bismark. The state flower is the wild prairie rose. South Dakota was named for the Dakota division of the Sioux Indians. The state’s history includes such historical figures as Lewis and Clark, Wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, Sitting Bull, and General George Custer. Its Homestake Mine is one of the largest producers of gold in the U.S. It is home to the Mount Rushmore Monument honoring U.S. Presidents Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Theodore Roosevelt in the Black Hills. The Crazy Horse Monument is still incomplete. Its nickname is the “Mount Rushmore State”. The capital is Pierre and the state flower is the pasque flower or the May Day flower. Nebraska was named after an Indian word that means “flat water” after the Platte River, flowing through the state. This is the 37th state. Its nickname is the “Corn Husker State”. Since the state’s main industry is cattle it has also earned a second nickname the “Beef State”. The capital is Lincoln named in honor of the 16th president of the U.S. – Abraham Lincoln. The state flower is the goldenrod. Kansas is the 34th state and it was named after the Kansa or Kaw Indians which is a Sioux Indian term meaning “south wind people”. In 1822 hundreds of wagons moved across Kansas along the Santa Fe Trail. Dodge City became home to the largest cattle market in the world. The state became home to such famous people as Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickok and Bat Masterson. This is the “Sunflower State”. Its capital is Topeka and the state flower is the native sunflower.