, 1885-03-27
STATES MECHANICS.
A CONDENSED ACCOUNT, HIsToa.
lcAL AND LEGENDARY.
Honorable Tides Ludierou- Appsnations.
Derl.ive s~obrIquets. and Far-Fetshed
Ing which Historian. Diner.
Louisville courier-JournAI ]

a quincy ILL., correspondent asks US 70
give some nccomt of the nirknames by
which the different states ara known. In
De Vere's @AmerieanP there is an account
OF this matter. from which we condense. as
follows: Arkansas vas named the Rear
STATE, pronounced within its borders and
elsewhere In the west, ABar State" from the
fact that in early times, when the name was
given. bears abounded In that part Of the
Union California Is also termed tho Bear
state, but here it is the grizzly bear which
gives the name, and appears In the
Ing. hugo and formidable, on a
railway track, symbolizing the marvellous
growth Of a state which was, a few years
ago, u bowling wilderness Connecticut Is
known as the Blue law state, from the
~unenviable lame Of its early government
regulations, known as the Blue lava Il Is
also known as the Freestone state, from its
valuable quarries. II is termed, too. the
Nutmeg state, from the famous speculation
IN wooden spices, immortalized by Sam
Slick. or, as a facetious native puts IT. "be-
cause you WIN ave to look for a CRATER
Delaware Il known as the Blue Hon, from
the notoriety one Of her sons acquired dur
Ing the war OF the revolution for his fond
ness for eock-ighting. Happily, he was
famous, too, for his bravery. and for skill in
drilling his men, so that the latter becams
known as his game cocks.n He held that
no cock could be true game that did not
come from a blue hen, and this led to substi-
tuting the name blue hen chickens for tho
term game cocks. As the whole regiment
became famous through him, all Delaware
men were ~nicknamed thus, and soon the
designation was transferred to the state.
Florida Is the Gulf state, a name shared by
Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Texas.
Georgia Is known us the Cracker state, a
name she does not deserve. Illinois Is termed
the Prairie state, from its rolling fields of
grass. IL is also known as the Sucker state,
a term whose origin is thus: The western
p~rairies are I'm gaAny PLACES full OF holes made
by the crawfish, which descend TO the water
beneath. In early times travellers going
over these Immense plains provided them
selves with long hollow reeds, which, when
thirsty, they thrust into these natural
artesian wells and supplied their wants.
Thus they grew to be called suckers, and
Illinois got the sobriquet
Indiana is tho Hoosier state. 1t is said
this name arose from the proverbial inquis-
itiveness Of It's citizens. It is alleged they
could not pass a house without pulling the
latch-string and crying out, "Whois herel7
Iowa has adopted the name OF a famous In
dian chief. who was long n terror of all set
Tiers within her boundary lines, and is
KNOWN US the IAWkeye slhIe- hhnshS up
pears as the Squatter state, from the perth
nacity with which fquatter sovereignty was
discussed there. 1t is more pleasantly called
the Garden state, from the vast garden like
cultivated fields and prairies which abound
In that fertile region Kentucky is the Corn
Cracker state, from its fields of maize. Lou
isinna Is the Pelican state, that
bird being frequent ON its shores,
and chosen IN It's coat-of-arms. 1t Is
also termed the Creole state from the large
number OF it, citizei who are descendants OF
the original French aud Spanish settlers
Massachusetts early known us the Colony
of Massachusetts Bay, still continues to be
the Bay state. Maine. from her extensive
pine forest. Is called the Pine Tree state.
From the occupation these forests afford IL
Is also known as tho Lumber state.
Maryland bears the proud title of Old
Line state from tho Ola Line regiments she
contributed to the Continental army in the
war OF the revolution, the only state that
had regular troops Of "the line.r Michigan
appears as Wolverine state from th- ,mnn-
Der Of little wolves that usel 20 In
fest its territory. From its four mag
nihcent lakes it also derives the iinf
OF AXE state. Minnesota, largely -.
tied by Now England people, is namai
tho New England OF the west. Mississippi
Is spoken Of as the Mudcat state, because Of
the large species Of cat fish Astounding in the
swamps aud mud OF tho rivers. Missouri,
the Bullion state, took her name from one OF
her sons, Thomas II. Benton, who was a
staunch advocate of gold and silver currency,
and himself becams known in congress as
Old Bullion. New Hampshire, from its
granite mountains, is known as tho Granite
state, New York, once named Now Amster-
dam under Dutch rule, and assuming its
present name as an English colony, bears
the proud title of EmpireState, as surprising
all others in wealth and population. Its
motto, Excelsior" on its coat of arms gives
it the name Excelsior state. North Caro-
lima, from her immense pine forests, Is
known as the Turpentine state. Ohio owes
TO the buckeye tho name of Buckeye state.
Pennsylvania is proud of the name of
Keystone state, derived from the fact of its
being the central state at the time when the
Union was formed. The names of the states,
arranged in the form of an arch, according
to their geographical position, give Pennsyl
yania tho central place, where the keystone
would be Rhode Island, the smallest state
in the Union. Is often named Little Rhody.
South Carolina owes her name, Palmetto
state, to the valuable tree growing on her
shores, and symboled in her coat Of arms.
A palmetto is kept carefully growing
In the streets Of Charleston and
the Palmetto flag WINS famous IN
the late war by Its connection with Fort
Sumter. Texas, once a province Of Mexico,
then an independent republic, bore a single
star In its eoat-of-arms, and being left for
a time to struggle unaidsd. became honora
bly, known as the Lone Star state. Yer
mont, from the ridge of mountains within
her boundaries, is named the Green Noun
tain state. The mama Vermont was given
by the French Sc tiers virginia refa'ns her
name Of Old Dominion, earned Va time OF
peril by her loyalty to ChS:s-s IL. Wzcon-
sin, Astounding in early days in badgers. ro-
tains the name OF Badger state.
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