South Dakota State Symbols

State Animal:  The Coyote

State Fish:  The Walleye

State Insect: Honey Bee

State Flower:  Pasque

State Tree:  Black Hills Spruce

State Fossil:  The triceratops

State Mineral:  Rose quartz

State Gemstone:  Fairburn agate  

State Slogan:  "Great Faces. Great Places."

State Song: "Hail, South Dakota" composed by Deecort Hammitt.

Motto:  "Under God the people rule"

Origin of State Name:  The name Dakota is derived from a Sioux term meaning friends or allies.

Nickname for State:  The Mount Rushmore State.  This national memorial is carved into a granite bluff in South Dakota's Black Hills.

Nickname for residents:  South Dakotans