Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa

 Welcome!

Continuing my series of state fact bits (really, what else should I call them?) today let’s focus on the “I” states:

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

As before, I am going alphabetically.

IDAHO

Twin Falls, Idaho

I discovered something about myself. I love waterfalls! When gathering photos for each state, it seemed like they were all waterfalls - and they were! The ones shown above are just gorgeous and represent the state quite well.

Idaho is the 14th largest state, out of 50 total. It sits in an area called ‘the Pacific Northwest’.

This term is usually meant to describe the areas of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and parts of Canada. Sometimes it is expanded to include Alaska and Northern California. (Idaho is the area tannish/gold colored on the upper right).

In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln signed the bill making Idaho a US territory. 27 years later (in 1890) it became the 43rd state to join the Union. In those 27 years there were 16 governors, and 4 of them never even visited Idaho!

Courtesy James DeSanti

It’s called ‘the Gem State’ because you can find more than 72 different precious and semi-precious gems in this state. One of the largest diamonds ever found in the US (nearly 20 carats) was found near McCall, Idaho.

To give you some idea, this is a cut 19 carat diamond ring. Of course the diamond found was in the rough.

Idaho grows around 13 billion  pounds of potatoes every year, making it a leading producer. Wow. They even have a Potato Museum that features the world’s largest potato chip.

Idaho has more whitewater river miles than any other state. It has lakes, hot springs, volcanoes, forests, waterfalls and lots of farmland. There is even part of the Rocky Mountains that extends into central Idaho.

WordSearchAddict.com

Sawtooth Wilderness, Idaho

Song sheet cover, c. 1912

ILLINOIS

Amos W. Woodward Millhouse history museum, Rockford, Illinois

Illinois was the 21st state to join the USA, in 1818 when James Monroe was President (he was the 5th). The name “Illinois” comes from an Algonquin Indian word. It could mean ‘warrior’, ‘tribe of superior men’ or ‘best people’. Any of those interpretations are pretty cool sounding. Oh, and when you say ‘Illinois’ you do NOT pronounce the ‘s’ at the end.

Many famous people have been born in Illinois. To name just a few, they are:

Ronald Reagan, Harrison Ford, Charlie Kirk, Cindy Crawford, Jean M. Auel, Amelia Earhart, Walt Disney, L.Frank Baum, Jack Benny, Emil J. Brach, Marlon Brando, Edgar Rice Burroughs— and I’m not even mentioning all the sports coaches and players.

Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois; approx 1930

The state capital is Springfield. Abraham Lincoln lived here for 24 years. There are many official sites and historical places that commemorate him, including his Presidential Library and Tomb.

State Capitol, Springfield, Illinois

Illinois has no National Parks, but does have over 65 State Parks and around 50 protected areas. You can find here canyons, unusual rock formations, the Mississippi River, Lake Michigan and waterfalls. There are many scenic routes, hiking trails and the historic Route 66.

Matthiessen State Park, Illinois

(You knew I had to slip in a waterfall, right?)

Illinois is nicknamed “The Prairie State”. Early settlers called it this because of the endless grasslands they encountered. It is also called “Land of Lincoln”, in honor of Abraham Lincoln.

Midwest Living

Fun trivia:

The first McDonald’s franchise was opened in 1955 in Des Plaines, IL.

Can’t feature Illinois without mentioning Chicago. I spent more than a couple of nights in the O’Hare International Airport, sleeping on benches, the floor and luggage carousels. Why? Because we were there to pick up my dad from a business trip, and it would become snowbound with no planes landing and we were stuck! (I was 1-4 years old).

Ah, the good time memories!

Chicago’s O’Hare airport has 8 runways, the most of any airport in the whole world. That translates to: 

A lot of planes.

Satellite photo, August 2023, O’Hare Int’l Aiport

INDIANA

c.1922

Indiana, Illinois and Iowa are all part of the US known as the Midwest Region. Indiana is known as

The Hoosier State.

Hoosier? What does that mean? Well, there’s a good debate that goes on about where that word even came from. In 1833 a fellow by the name of John Finley wrote a poem. It became popular and was titled “The Hoosier’s Nest”. Also in that year the Indianapolis Journal started using  Hoosier to describe people who lived in Illinois. The then governor of Illinois began publishing a newspaper (in 1833) called “The Hoosier”.

Busy year for Hoosiers.

Indiana became the 19th state of the US in 1816. During the Civil War it remained faithful to the Union, and recruited a higher proportion of soldiers. Especially in the South and central parts, however, there were many economical, social and family ties to the South. This caused a lot of friction and discord during the War.

Autumn Park, Brown County, Indiana

Colonel Sanders, of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame, was actually born in the small town of Henryville, IN. Orville Redenbacher, of popcorn fame, was born in Brazil, IN.

Want to eat like a Hoosier? Then help yourself to a slice of ‘Hoosier’ pie (a sugar cream pie).

c.1917

Can’t write a blog about Indiana without mentioning the Indy 500. This is a motor racing circuit built in 1909 by Carl G. Fisher. It is the 3rd oldest permanent automobile racetrack built in the world. Home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400 (formerly known as the United States Grand Prix) it is a course 2.5 miles in a rectangular oval. While some modifications have been made it is essentially the same since it was built.

Indianapolis 500 race track and stands

Indiana has quite a population of bats, both cave-dwelling and migratory (they move according to the seasons). There are still caves being discovered, with the longest one ever, Indiana Caverns, having an underground river you can even explore with a boat! Found in 2010 it contains bones and fossils they think are from the Ice Age.

I love bats, so let’s find out a bit more about them. There are 12 different species in Indiana. Out of that 9 are either federally endangered and/or state special concern (almost endangered). 2 of them have not been seen in Indiana since 1962 and 1977. That’s really sad. These bats eat insects. Literally tons of them. It is estimated bats save the US agriculture $3.7 billion every year due to the amount of insects they eat. I would say that makes them pretty important to us.

Little brown bat, endangered

Indiana has more than 500 lakes, carved out by pre-historic glaciers. 

The first successful goldfish farm was opened in Martinsville, IN in 1899. No mention of what defines success, vs. failure. But then, if I failed at goldfish farming I probably would not go around telling a lot of people about it…

Indiana Dunes National Park, Indiana; Beach Travel Destinations

IOWA

Vintage song sheet cover, c.1921

Iowa was the 29th state to join the USA in 1846. It is known as ‘The Salt State’ due to the large salt deposits explored in the 1800’s. It is also known as ‘The Hawkeye State’. Why Hawkeye? A couple of reasons. First, to honor Chief Black Hawk of the Sauk Indian tribe who was a warrior in the Black Hawk War of 1832. Secondly, after the fictional scout ‘Hawkeye’ from James Fenimore Cooper’s novel ‘the Last of the Mohicans’, published in 1826. Another possible influence was Stephen Sumner  Phelps, a Mississippi River fur trader that local Indians nicknamed “Hawkeye” due to his excellent marksmanship. Around 1838 territory officials accepted the term as describing their upcoming state.

Chief Black Hawk, 1832, artist George Catlin

And Iowa? It is translated from a word that means

 ‘Bah-kho-ji Tribe’. Okay, the Who? Well, first the Baxoje is a term that means ‘grey snow’, a reference to how their lodges look in the winter amidst the cooking smoke. They are also called the Ioway Tribe. This is a French adaptation of the Dakota Sioux word for this tribe (which means sleepy ones). They probably were not BFFs. It certainly is not what they called themselves.

Sooo I still have never heard of them.

Oh, but they were part of a set of tribes closely related to the Winnebago Indians, and other Missouri tribes.

Those I have heard of!

These peoples are now known as the Iowa Tribe of Kansas and Nebraska, and the Iowa tribe of Oklahoma. (They were forcibly removed from their homelands in the 1820s - 1830s).

Oh what a mess of things our forefathers created back then.

Iowa

‘Our liberties we prize,

and our rights we will maintain.’

That’s the state motto incorporated into the Great Seal of the State of Iowa in 1847. Iowa is a state of covered bridges, rolling farmland, and border defining rivers (the Missouri and the Mississippi rivers). 85% of its land is used for agriculture. Their State Fair has a good reputation and features a 600 pound butter sculpture of a cow. Wonder what happens to it after the Fair is over?

Iowans like to have things declared as state, so they have a state flower, state bird, state mammal, state tree, state fruit, state…oh it’s easier to post a picture!

Many things have been invented in Iowa. To name just a few, Iowans have invented (1903) Crayola crayons,  (1920s) root beer floats, (1938) chocolate chip cookies, (1930s) a combine (machine to help harvest crops), and (1943) the Slinky.

Iowa, USA

As always, I could write an entire blog on just one of these states. I hope your curiosity is tickled and you check out more things about our states than I have mentioned.

Personally, I have lived in 9 different states, and visited 15 other states. That makes 24 out of 50. I think I better start planning some more road trips….

‘Til next time,

inkspired

Wild Prairie Rose state flower of Iowa

Good day!

Canada, gardens, Epcot, WaltDisneyWorld, Florida, USA

Today I will be exploring

the official flower of June:

the Rose



The wild prairie rose, or rosa pratincola,

is the state flower of Iowa.

So, I will be exploring the prairie rose, and the state of Iowa.

The Iowa Legislature designated the Wild Rose as the official state flower in 1897. It was chosen for the honor because it was one of the decorations used on the silver service, which the state presented to the battleship USS Iowa that same year. Although no particular species of the flower was designated by the Legislature, the Wild Prairie Rose (Rosa Pratincola) is most often cited as the official flower.

Wild roses are found throughout the state and bloom from June through late summer. The flower, in varying shades of pink, is set off by many yellow stamens in the center.

Donna Reed (January 27, 1921 – January 14, 1986)

was an American film and television actress. She was born in Denison, IA (abbreviation for Iowa).

c.1917

Glenn Miller (1904 - 1944) Bandleader and Composer of many famous songs including “In the Mood”, and “Moonlight Serenade”; born in Clarinda, IA. He disappeared over the English Channel in late 1944.

Carrie Chapman Catt (1859 - 1947) She led the campaign that ended with the 19^th Amendment to the Constitution allowing women to vote; lived in Charles City. In 1919, Carrie Chapman Catt led an army of vote-less women to pressure Congress to pass the constitutional amendment giving them the right to vote. Due at least in part to her organization and leadership, the bill became law within eighteen months. With the battle that had consumed nearly all of her time and energy for almost half her life won, Catt went on to devote the next 25 years to work for peace as the basis of human rights. Catt was one of the best-known women in America during the first half of the 20th century. In spite of this, her contributions have largely been obscured by history.

Johnny Carson (1925 - 2005) Comedian that hosted The Tonight Show for 30 years; born in Corning, IA.

Here is a simple (!) scherensnitte design. I think the flower looks like a wild prairie rose.

If  you haven't changed your x-acto blade recently, or after a few cuttings, do it now! I am always amazed how much easier the cutting goes with a fresh blade!

Tip:

Store your dull blades in a film canister, bandaid tin, or baby food jar with a lid.

Throw them in the trash this way,

and you won't have any accidental rips

 in your trash bag (or arms!).

Same method works for used sewing needles.

 c.1919

I discovered there actually is a rose called 'China Rose',

but I thought this one looked close enough to a wild prairie rose

to include it today!

Ann Landers, columnist, Sioux City, IA. Ann Landers was a pen name created by Chicago Sun-Times advice columnist Ruth Crowley in 1943 and taken over by Eppie Friedman in 1955. For 56 years, the Ask Ann Landers syndicated advice column was a regular feature in many newspapers across North America. Due to this popularity, 'Ann Landers', though fictional, became something of a national institution and cultural icon.

  vintage postcard

Next up is the Iowa official state song.

“Song of Iowa” is sung to the tune of "Tannenbaum".

Adopted as official state song June 20, 1949

Written by S.H.M. Byers

“Song of Iowa”

You asked what land I love the best, Iowa, tis Iowa,

The fairest State of all the west, Iowa, O! Iowa,

From yonder Misissippi's stream

To where Missouri's waters gleam

O! fair it is as poet's dream, Iowa, in Iowa.

See yonders fields of tasseled corn, Iowa in Iowa,

Where plenty fills her golden horn, Iowa in Iowa,

See how her wonderous praries shine.

To yonder sunset's purpling line,

O! happy land, O! land of mine, Iowa, O! Iowa.

And she has made whose laughing eyes, Iowa, O! Iowa.

To him whose loves were Paradise, Iowa, O! Iowa

O! happiest fate that e'er was known.

Such eyes to shine for one alone,

To call such beauty all his own. Iowa, O! Iowa

Go read the story of thy past. Iowa, O! Iowa

What glorious deeds, what fame thou hast! Iowa, O! Iowa

So long as time's great cycle runs,

Or nations weep their fallen ones,

Thou'lt not forget thy patriot sons, Iowa, O! Iowa.

S.H.M. Byers inspiration is recorded:

"At the great battle of Lookout Mountain I was captured (he was a Northerner, or Union soldier), in a charge, and taken to Libby Prison, Richmond, VA. (during the Civil War).

I was there seven months, in one room. The rebel bands often passed the prison, and for our discomfiture, sometimes played the tune 'My Maryland', set to southern and bitter words. Hearing it once through our barred window, I said to myself, 'I would like some day to put that tune to loyal words.'"

Many years later, in 1897, Mr. Byers carried out his wish and wrote a song to the music of Tannenbaum, the old German folk-song which the Confederates had used for My Maryland. The next night a French concert singer at the Foster Opera House in Des Moines sang the new song upon the request of Mr. Byers. The number was a great success and was encored again and again.

Iowa state bird (goldfinch) and state flower (prairie rose)

Iowa State Motto: Our liberties we prize and Our Rights We Will Maintain

nickname: Hawkeye State

Statehood: December 28, 1846, athe 29th state.

Origin of State's Name:  From the Dakota Indian word

"Ayuhwa," meaning "sleepy ones," referring to a tribe

living in that area.

beaded amulet purse by Suzanne Cooper. Design for sale.

I think this beaded rose would look like a wild prairie rose

if the center was yellow.

Suzanne Cooper has numerous bead designs available for purchase. She does great work!

Herbert Hoover (1874 - 1964) The 31st President of the United States; born in West Branch, IA."Food will win the war"' proclaimed engineer-turned-bureaucrat Herbert Hoover, with a tinge of self-promotion, as head of the U.S. Food Administration, the WWI agency responsible for feeding America's troops overseas. While cloaking his efforts in the comforting language of voluntarism, the nervous, high-strung food czar, incessantly smoking Havana cigars, used a mix of price controls, exhortations, constraints and propaganda to seduce the general populace into eating less and reducing waste so our fighting forces could get adequate food supplies. As chairman of the Commission for Relief in Belgium, Hoover orchestrated a massive emergency operation that provided desperately needed food to millions of Belgian and French citizens trapped between the German army of occupation and the British naval blockade. Hoover became a hero to legions of American housewives, middle-class professionals and businessmen, though farmers, livestock producers and middlemen saw him as a meddling, insensitive outsider, an image that dogged the future president all the way to the White House.

 

This lovely embroidery pattern is from

www.turkeyfeathers.typepad.com.

I have enjoyed her patterns so much,that I have just added her to my list of blogs that I follow.

Check her out! You might like her blog also!

Adrian Constantine (Cap) Anson (1851 - 1922) Known as the greatest baseball player of the 19th century; born in Marshalltown, IA. Cap Anson’s plaque at the Baseball Hall of Fame sums up his career with admirable simplicity: "The greatest hitter and greatest National League player-manager of the 19th century." Anson helped make baseball the national pastime. He hit over .300 in all but three of his major league seasons, and upon his retirement in 1897, he held the all-time records for games played, times at bat, hits, runs scored, doubles and runs batted in. For much of his career, he also served as manager of the National League’s Chicago White Stockings (now known as the Cubs), winning five pennants and finishing in the top half of the league in 15 of his 19 seasons.

c.1908

Cloris Leachman, actress, was born in Des Moines, IA.

Harry Reasoner, TV commentator, born in Dakota City (4/17/1923 - 8/06/1991) was an American journalist known for his inventive use of language as a TV commentator, and as a founder of the 60 Minutes program.

Okay, a little rant about blogspot righ now! It won't do the spacing between lines all of a sudden.

This really is not me!!!

Sheesh...

Here is a pretty scherensnitte design to cut into an

envelope. Just slip a piece of colored cardstock or your

colored card, and it will show to the front,

making this prairie rose design beautiful!

Meredith Willson (1902 - 1984) Writer of the famous Broadway musical The Music Man was born in Mason City, IA.

Andy Williams singer, born in Wall Lake, IA. Howard Andrew "Andy" Williams (born December 3, 1927) is an American pop singer. Andy Williams has recorded 18 Gold and three Platinum certified albums. When Ronald Reagan was president, he declared Andy's voice to be "a national treasure". He had his own popular TV variety show from 1962–71. He also owns his own theater, the Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri.

Henry Wallace (1888 - 1965) Vice President of the United States and secretary of agriculture during the depression; born near Orient, IA.

Here's a nice simple coloring page for you:

Well, I'm getting frustrated with the spacing issue, so let's close with a few beautiful pictures of the Wild Prairie Rose:

Have a beautiful day!

inkspired

http://www.inkspired.etsy.com/ 

dominoes@myinkspired.com

http://www.inkspiredmusings.blogspot.com/