Iowa State Day, Motto, and Nickname

STATUS Unofficial DATE OF ADMISSION TO UNITED STATES December 28, 1846 RANKING IN STATE ADMISSION 29th FORMER DESIGNATIONS Territory of Michigan Territory of Wisconsin Iowa Territory HISTORY The state of Iowa is named after the Iowa River, which was named after the Iowa Indians. (Iowa means "one who puts to sleep.") The area was originally acquired in 1803 through the Louisiana Purchase. Until Michigan’s territorial status was achieved, the area was part of the Michigan Territory. When Michigan began its final preparations for statehood, the Iowa area was transferred to the Wisconsin Territory. The population requirement for territorial status was finally reached, and Iowa applied for and was granted territorial status on July 4, 1838. The issue of slavery affected the timing of attaining Iowa statehood. Congress required that for every non–slave holding state admitted into the union, a slave-holding state was also to be admitted, and vice-versa. The non–slave holding supporters in Congress wished to have land available in reserve to be able to form other non–slaveholding states for this purpose. Therefore, the Iowa Territory was required to move its northern border, which extended to the Minneapolis–St. Paul region, to its present border to make room for what would become the state of Minnesota. Eventually all of the requirements for statehood were met. Iowa residents approved a state constitution and submitted it to Congress. On December 28, 1846, Iowa was officially welcomed into the Union as the 29th state by President James K. Polk. MOTTO "Our liberties we prize and our rights we will maintain." NICKNAMES "The Hawkeye State," "The Corn State," "Land of the Rolling Prairie" "The Hawkeye State" is widely believed to come from the character of Hawkeye the Scout, popularized in James Fenimore Cooper’s 1826 book The Last of the Mohicans. "The Corn State" refers to Iowa leading national corn production and its shared status with Illinois as being the center of the Corn Belt. Also shared with Illinois is reference to the prairie lands with the nickname "Land of the Rolling Prairie." Both states have large portions covered with prairie grass and flatlands. -World Trade Press