Nicknames: America's 50 States (Second of Four Parts)

The Gem State.  This is not because it has diamonds but because it believes it is the jewel of the western Rocky Mountains.  Illinois is The Land of Lincoln. It is named for Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president who led the nation through the Civil War in the eighteen sixties.  The midwestern state of Indiana is called the Hoosier State, but nobody is quite sure why.

The Crossroads of America.  Iowa's nickname, the Hawkeye State, is in honor of Black Hawk, an Indian chief who spent most of his life in neighboring Illinois!

The Jayhawk State.  Jayhawkers were free-state guerrilla fighters opposed to the pro-slavery fighters in the years before the Civil War.

The Bluegrass State.  Bluegrass is really bright green but looks bluish from a distance.  Louisiana is The Bayou State.  A bayou is a slow-moving stream.  Hundreds of them flow through this southern state, and many are full of alligators!

The Pine Tree State because it is covered in evergreen woods.  And directly across the country, on the Pacific Coast, is the state of Washington.  It also has lots of evergreen trees so, not surprisingly, it is The Evergreen State.

Bay State.  This body of water separates most of the state from famous Cape Cod.

Wolverine State.  A wolverine is a small, fierce mammal. The badger is a similar and equally fierce creature and Wisconsin is The Badger State.

The Gopher State, is named for a much nicer animal that builds hills and tunnels. However, The Land of Ten Thousand Lakes is written on Minnesota's vehicle license plates.   

The Flickertail State not from some bird, but from a little squirrel.  South Dakota takes its nickname, The Coyote State, from an animal that thinks flickertails are good to eat!

The Beaver State, borrows its nickname from the large, flat-tailed rodent that uses trees to build dams.