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List of Indiana state symbols

{{Short description|None}}

File:Indiana in United States.svg in the United States, highlighted in red.]]

The U.S. state of Indiana has 17 official state emblems, as well as other designated official and unofficial items. The majority of the symbols in the list are officially recognized and created by an act of the Indiana General Assembly and signed into law by the governor. They are listed in Indiana Code Title 1, Article 2, State Emblems which also regulates the appearance and applicable use of the items.{{cite web|url=http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title1/ar2/|title=IC 1-2|work=Indiana Code|publisher=Indiana Office of Code Revision|access-date=August 20, 2009|archive-date=November 18, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091118190807/http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title1/ar2/|url-status=dead}}

Compared to other states, Indiana has few official symbols. The first symbol was the Seal of Indiana, which was made official in 1801 for the Indiana Territory and again in 1816 by the state of Indiana.{{cite web | url= http://www.in.gov/history/2804.htm | title= Indiana's State Seal—An Overview | access-date= 2008-01-28 | publisher= Indiana Historical Bureau | archive-date= 2009-04-19 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090419161805/http://www.in.gov/history/2804.htm | url-status= live }} It served as the state's only emblem for nearly a century until the adoption of the state song in 1913.{{cite web|last=Henderson|first=Clayton W|title=Paul Dresser|publisher=Indiana Historical Society|url=http://www.indianahistory.org/our-collections/library-and-archives/notable-hoosiers/paul-dresser|access-date=2012-10-12|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120921030745/http://www.indianahistory.org/our-collections/library-and-archives/notable-hoosiers/paul-dresser|archive-date=2012-09-21}} For many years, Indiana was the only state without a flag. The official state banner was adopted in 1917, and renamed the state flag in 1955.{{cite web|url=http://www.in.gov/history/2687.htm|title=Indiana's State Banner|publisher=Indiana Historical Bureau|access-date=2008-06-01|archive-date=2009-03-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090319014400/http://www.in.gov/history/2687.htm|url-status=live}} The newest symbol of Indiana is the state fossil, mastodon, which was declared in 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/indiana-lawmakers-name-mastodon-as-first-state-fossil|title=Indiana lawmakers name mastodon as first state fossil|access-date=2022-02-23|publisher=WFYI|archive-date=2022-02-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220222181026/https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/indiana-lawmakers-name-mastodon-as-first-state-fossil|url-status=live}}

Insignia

{{Further|List of U.S. state, district, and territorial insignia}}

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Flag

|Flag of Indiana

|Indiana's flag has a blue background with a torch in the center. The torch is surrounded by nineteen stars: the thirteen in the outer ring representing the original colonies, the five in the inner ring representing the next five states admitted (prior to Indiana), and the one on top of the torch representing Indiana.

|1917

|File:Flag of Indiana.svg

|{{cite web |url=http://www.in.gov/history/2797.htm |title=Indiana State Flag |access-date=2008-01-28 |publisher=Indiana Historical Bureau |archive-date=2008-06-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619070015/http://www.in.gov/history/2797.htm |url-status=live }}

Motto

|Crossroads of America

|Indiana is the site of many cross-country roads, including the National Road and U.S. Route 41.

|1937

|File:Welcome to Indiana, Crossroads of America.jpg

|

Seal

|Seal of Indiana

|Indiana's seal depicts a setting sun, sycamore trees, a woodsman, and a jumping bison.

|1816

|File:Indiana-StateSeal.svg

|{{cite web |url=http://www.in.gov/history/2803.htm |title=Indiana State Seal |access-date=2008-01-28 |publisher=Indiana Historical Bureau |archive-date=2009-03-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090319013710/http://www.in.gov/history/2803.htm |url-status=live }}

Species

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Bird

|Northern cardinal
(Cardinalis cardinalis){{Ref label|Cardinal|A|A}}

|The male cardinal is bright red and the female is brown and dull red. They live in Indiana year-round.

|1933

|File:Cardinalis cardinalis1.jpg

|{{cite web |url=http://www.in.gov/history/2796.htm |title=Indiana State Bird |access-date=2008-01-28 |publisher=Indiana Historical Bureau |archive-date=2009-03-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090319013713/http://www.in.gov/history/2796.htm |url-status=live }}

Flower

|Peony
(Paeonia){{Ref label|Flower|B|B}}

|The peony is a red, pink, or white flower that blooms in late May. It is grown throughout Indiana.

|1957

|File:White peony.png

|{{cite web|url=http://www.in.gov/history/2798.htm|title=Indiana State Flower|access-date=2008-01-28|publisher=Indiana Historical Bureau|archive-date=2009-03-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090319013702/http://www.in.gov/history/2798.htm|url-status=live}}

Fossil

|Mastodon
(Mammut americanum)

|Mastodons roamed Indiana starting about 2.5 million years ago and became extinct about 10,500 years ago. Mastodons are now the most common Ice Age fossil found in Indiana.

|2022

|File:Mammut americanum ROM - American Mastodon.jpg

|{{cite web|url=https://www.whas11.com/article/news/local/indiana/mastodons-indiana-first-official-fossil/417-cd2d6a5f-6a90-4fd2-a182-3d2bf1175f1f|title=Indiana lawmakers name mastodon as first state fossil|access-date=2022-02-21|publisher=WHAS-TV|archive-date=2022-02-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221142354/https://www.whas11.com/article/news/local/indiana/mastodons-indiana-first-official-fossil/417-cd2d6a5f-6a90-4fd2-a182-3d2bf1175f1f|url-status=live}}

Insect

|Say's firefly
(Pyractomena angulata)

|The males of this flying beetle species produce amber flashes of light at night to attract mates. It is named for naturalist Thomas Say of New Harmony, Indiana.

|2018

|File:Lightning Bug - Pyractomena angulata?, Leesylvania State Park, Woodbridge, Virginia.jpg

|{{cite news|url=https://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2018/02/27/says-firefly-become-state-insect-after-bill-blazes-its-way-through-indiana-house/377640002/|title=Say's Firefly to become state insect after bill lights its way through the Indiana House|work=Indianapolis Star|access-date=2018-03-01|language=en|archive-date=2018-10-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011035141/https://www.indystar.com/story/news/education/2018/02/27/says-firefly-become-state-insect-after-bill-blazes-its-way-through-indiana-house/377640002/|url-status=live}}

Tree

|Tulip tree
(Liriodendron tulipifera)

|The tulip tree is also called the yellow poplar. It has a distinctive leaf shape and yellow, bell-shaped flowers. It is a tall tree and grows throughout Indiana.

|1931

|File:2015-05-18 12 44 22 Tulip Tree blossoms along Terrace Boulevard in Ewing, New Jersey.jpg

|{{cite web |url=http://www.in.gov/history/2798.htm |title=Indiana State Tree |access-date=2008-01-28 |publisher=Indiana Historical Bureau |archive-date=2009-03-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090319013702/http://www.in.gov/history/2798.htm |url-status=live }}

Geology

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River

|Wabash River

|Beginning near the Ohio–Indiana border, the Wabash flows for more than {{convert|500|miles}} across Northern Indiana, turning southward where it forms a portion of the Illinois–Indiana border. It is the second largest tributary to the Ohio River and is the longest segment of free-flowing river east of the Mississippi River.

|1996

|File:Wabashrivermap.png

|{{cite web |url=http://www.in.gov/history/2799.htm |title=Indiana State River |publisher=Indiana Historical Bureau |access-date=January 28, 2008 |archive-date=March 19, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090319013706/http://www.in.gov/history/2799.htm |url-status=live }}{{cite report |date=December 2011 |title=Wabash River Watershed Section 729 Initial Watershed Assessment |url=https://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/Portals/64/docs/CWProjects/WabashStudy.pdf |publisher=US Army Corps of Engineers Louisville District |page=5 |access-date=December 29, 2022 |archive-date=December 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221229065329/https://www.lrl.usace.army.mil/Portals/64/docs/CWProjects/WabashStudy.pdf |url-status=dead }}

Stone

|Indiana limestone

|The Indiana variety of limestone, also called Salem or Bedford, is significantly quarried in south-central Indiana. It is a high-quality stone used in the construction of many prominent civic buildings across the U.S., including the Empire State Building and the Pentagon. A sculpture commemorating the state stone sits in the Indiana Statehouse.

|1971

|File:Bedford, IN limestone, Indiana Statehouse.JPG

|{{cite web |url=http://www.in.gov/history/2799.htm |title=Indiana State Stone |publisher=Indiana Historical Bureau |access-date=January 28, 2008 |archive-date=March 19, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090319013706/http://www.in.gov/history/2799.htm |url-status=live }}

Culture

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Aircraft

|Republic P-47 Thunderbolt Hoosier Spirit II

|The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was a World War II-era fighter aircraft manufactured at Republic Aviation's Evansville, Indiana, plant. In 2021, the statute was amended to specifically designate the Hoosier Spirit II, one of 6,242 aircraft built at the plant. Hoosier Spirit II is displayed at the Evansville Wartime Museum.

|2015

|—

|{{cite news |url=https://www.14news.com/story/29399467/p-47-thunderbolt-named-official-state-aircraft-of-indiana/ |title=P-47 Thunderbolt Named Official State Aircraft of Indiana |date=June 24, 2015 |access-date=September 1, 2019 |publisher=WFIE-TV |archive-date=September 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190901044958/https://www.14news.com/story/29399467/p-47-thunderbolt-named-official-state-aircraft-of-indiana/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.tristatehomepage.com/news/new-look-unveiled-for-evansvilles-p-47-hoosier-spirit-ii/ |title=New look unveiled for Evansville's P-47, Hoosier Spirit II |website=tristatehomepage.com |publisher=WEHT |date=May 7, 2021 |access-date=November 7, 2022 |archive-date=November 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221108022724/https://www.tristatehomepage.com/news/new-look-unveiled-for-evansvilles-p-47-hoosier-spirit-ii/ |url-status=live }}

Firearm

|Grouseland Rifle

|The Grouseland Rifle is a long rifle crafted in the early-1800s by gunsmith John Small for then-governor of the Indiana Territory, William Henry Harrison. The firearm is displayed in Vincennes, Indiana, at its namesake Grouseland.

|2012

|—

|{{cite web |last=Evans |first=Tim |url=https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2016/02/16/replica-william-henry-harrisons-grouseland-rifle-commissioned-bicentennial/80402246/ |title=Replica of Grouseland Rifle, the official state gun, commissioned for bicentennial |website=indystar.com |publisher=The Indianapolis Star |date=February 16, 2016 |access-date=November 7, 2022 |archive-date=November 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221117042106/https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2016/02/16/replica-william-henry-harrisons-grouseland-rifle-commissioned-bicentennial/80402246/ |url-status=live }}

Languages

|English
American Sign Language

|English is the native language of over 95% of the state's residents.

|1984
1995

|File:COVID-19 Press Conference IMG 2533 (49701729178).jpg

|{{cite web |url=http://www.in.gov/history/2802.htm |title=Indiana State Language |access-date=2008-01-28 |publisher=Indiana Historical Bureau |archive-date=2008-06-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080621152649/http://www.in.gov/history/2802.htm |url-status=live }}

Poem

|"Indiana"

|"Indiana" is by Arthur Franklin Mapes, the former Indiana State Poet Laureate. The poem describes the state's natural beauty.

|1963

|—

|{{cite web |url=http://www.in.gov/history/2801.htm |title=Indiana State Poem |publisher=Indiana Historical Bureau |access-date=January 28, 2008 |archive-date=April 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200421053052/https://www.in.gov/history/2801.htm |url-status=live }}

Poet laureate

|Curtis L. Crisler

|Represents Indiana and the art of poetry to the education community and the public.

|2005

|—

|{{cite web |last= |first= |date=January 25, 2024 |title=Curtis L. Crisler Named Indiana Poet Laureate |url=https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/INARTS/bulletins/3868b74 |access-date=February 17, 2025 |website= |publisher=Indiana Arts Commission |type=Press Release}}

Snack

|Indiana grown popcorn

|According to the USDA, Indiana was the nation's largest popcorn producer in 2021. Nearly {{convert|100000|acres}} were devoted to growing popcorn (particularly in White and Pulaski counties) valued at US$100 million. Orville Redenbacher's and Pop Weaver are popular popcorn brands originated in Indiana.

|2021

|File:Popcorn02.jpg

|{{cite web |last=Mills |first=Wes |url=https://www.insideindianabusiness.com/articles/its-official-popcorn-is-state-snack |title=It's Official: Popcorn is Indiana's State Snack |publisher=Inside Indiana Business |date=July 2, 2021 |access-date=November 6, 2022 |archive-date=November 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221107021030/https://www.insideindianabusiness.com/articles/its-official-popcorn-is-state-snack |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last=Quinlan |first=Erica |url=https://www.agrinews-pubs.com/news/science/2022/01/14/pop-ular-popcorn-indiana-a-top-producing-popcorn-state/ |title=Pop-ular popcorn: Indiana a top producing popcorn state |website=agrinews-pubs.com |publisher=Shaw Media |date=January 13, 2022 |access-date=November 7, 2022 |archive-date=November 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221108022724/https://www.agrinews-pubs.com/news/science/2022/01/14/pop-ular-popcorn-indiana-a-top-producing-popcorn-state/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Indiana/Publications/Current_News_Release/2022/nr2205in.pdf |title=News Release: 2021 Indiana Popcorn Production |website=nass.usda.gov |publisher=United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service Great Lakes Region |date=January 12, 2022 |access-date=November 7, 2022 |archive-date=November 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221108022729/https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Indiana/Publications/Current_News_Release/2022/nr2205in.pdf |url-status=dead }}

Song

|"On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away"

|The song was written and composed by songwriter Paul Dresser reminiscing about his childhood home along the Wabash River in Terre Haute, Indiana.

|1913

|File:On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away, sheet music cover with Bessie Davis, Paul Dresser, 1897.jpg

|{{cite web |url=http://www.in.gov/history/2800.htm |title=Indiana State Song |access-date=2008-01-28 |publisher=Indiana Historical Bureau |archive-date=2009-03-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090319013709/http://www.in.gov/history/2800.htm |url-status=live }}

Unofficial symbols and unsuccessful proposals

While most states have an official nickname, the Indiana General Assembly never officially adopted one. Indiana's unofficial nickname is The Hoosier State.{{cite web|url=http://www.in.gov/history/emblems.htm|title=State emblems|publisher=Indiana Historical Bureau|access-date=2009-08-20|archive-date=2009-11-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091125032404/http://www.in.gov/history/emblems.htm|url-status=live}} A word of unknown origin, Hoosier is the official demonym for the people of Indiana.{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2017/01/12/hoosiers-indianians-government-printing-office-style-guide-indiana/96461434/ |title=Don't Call Them Indianians; They're Hoosiers |last=Groppe |first=Maureen |date=January 12, 2017 |work=USA Today |publisher=Gannett |access-date=November 7, 2022 |archive-date=October 20, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020085344/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2017/01/12/hoosiers-indianians-government-printing-office-style-guide-indiana/96461434/ |url-status=live }}

The state has had several unofficial marketing slogans through the years, including "Restart Your Engines" (2006–2014), "Honest-to-Goodness Indiana" (2014–2022),{{cite web |last=Sikich |first=Chris |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/13/new-slogan-too-wholesome-for-some-hoosiers/5443679/ |title='Honest-to-Goodness Indiana' too wholesome? |publisher=The Indianapolis Star |date=February 13, 2014 |access-date=November 6, 2022 |archive-date=November 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221107061508/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/02/13/new-slogan-too-wholesome-for-some-hoosiers/5443679/ |url-status=live }} and most recently, "IN Indiana".{{cite web |last=Kane |first=Lizzie |url=https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2022/06/08/indiana-launches-tourism-marketing-campaign-in-indiana/7555601001/ |title='IN Indiana': State launches tourism campaign following height of COVID-19 pandemic |publisher=The Indianapolis Star |date=June 8, 2022 |access-date=November 6, 2022 |archive-date=December 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226133550/https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2022/06/08/indiana-launches-tourism-marketing-campaign-in-indiana/7555601001/ |url-status=live }}

Indiana's unofficial state soil, Miami, is a brown silt loam found widely across the state. The soil is productive for cultivation, contributing to the state's robust agricultural economy.

The Indiana Senate approved a resolution naming water as the official state beverage in 2007.{{cite web | url=http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2007/SRESP/SR0020.html | title=Senate Resolution 20, 2007 | publisher=Indiana General Assembly | access-date=January 31, 2011 | archive-date=October 15, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015072042/http://www.in.gov/legislative/bills/2007/SRESP/SR0020.html | url-status=live }}

Sugar cream pie (or "Hoosier Pie") was designated the "unofficial state pie" in 2009.{{cite web | url=http://archive.iga.in.gov/2009/bills/SRESP/SR0059.html | title=Senate Resolution 59, 2009 | publisher=Indiana General Assembly | access-date=February 7, 2020 | archive-date=August 3, 2020 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803115435/http://archive.iga.in.gov/2009/bills/SRESP/SR0059.html | url-status=live }}

Notes

:{{note label|Cardinal|A|A}}At the time, the northern cardinal's scientific name was Richmondena Cardianalis Cardinalis. It was changed in 1983.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mwY9HFMWkbsC&q=Richmondena+Cardinalis+Cardinalis+name+change&pg=PA2|title=Wild bird guides|last=Ritchison|first=Gary|publisher=Stackpole Books|year=1997|isbn=0-8117-3100-6|access-date=2009-08-22|page=2}}

:{{note label|Flower|B|B}}From 1923 to 1931, the state flower was the flower of the tulip tree. From 1931 to 1957, the state flower was the Zinnia.{{cite web|title=State Tree of Indiana |work=Indiana Woodland Steward |publisher=Purdue University |url=http://www.fnr.purdue.edu/inwood/state%20tree%20poster.htm |access-date=2007-11-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008145849/http://www.fnr.purdue.edu/inwood/state%20tree%20poster.htm |archive-date=2007-10-08 |url-status=dead }}

See also

{{Portal|Indiana}}

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

External links

  • {{cite web|title=Indiana Code Title 1, Article 2 Table of Contents|publisher=Indiana General Assembly|url=http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title1/ar2/|access-date=2007-12-27|archive-date=2009-11-18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091118190807/http://www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title1/ar2/|url-status=dead}}
  • {{cite web|title=State Emblems |publisher=Indiana Historical Bureau |url=http://www.in.gov/history/2329.htm |access-date=2008-01-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090317154950/http://www.in.gov/history/2329.htm |archive-date=2009-03-17 |url-status=dead }}
  • {{cite web|title=Facts about Indiana: State Emblems |publisher=VisitIndiana.com |url=http://www.in.gov/visitindiana/about/emblem.aspx |access-date=2008-08-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080818013050/http://www.in.gov/visitindiana/about/emblem.aspx |archive-date=2008-08-18 |url-status=dead }}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Indiana State Symbols}}

State symbols

Indiana