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We explore how the Great Plains states chose their official symbols, flowers, birds, trees, and insects. From the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago to grassroots campaigns by women's clubs, discover the surprising stories behind these emblems of state identity.
Learn why five states chose the same bird, how Montana kids voted for their state tree 41 years before the legislature acted, and why Oklahoma has three different flower symbols. Through conversations and quiz questions, we uncover the women-led movement that gave our states their lasting symbols and what these choices reveal about shared identity across the Great Plains.
1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, Woman’s Building
Bertha Honoré Palmer
Kansas, 1903
Sunflower
Montana, 1895
Bitterroot
Nebraska, 1895
Goldenrod
North Dakota, 1907
Wild Prairie Rose
Oklahoma, 2004
Oklahoma Rose
South Dakota, 1903
American Pasque
Texas, 1901/1971
Bluebonnet
Wyoming, 1917
Indian Paintbrush
Want to see more? See historical photos of the Woman's Building, state symbols, and more glimpses of prairie life on Instagram
Want to learn more?
Dobransky, Kerry & Gary Alan Fine. "The Native in the Garden: Floral Politics and Cultural Entrepreneurs." Sociological Forum 21:4 (2006): 559–85. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4540965
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/the-unstoppable-rise-of-the-state-symbol
https://southwestmt.com/blog/state-symbols-of-montana/
https://sos.wyo.gov/Services/StateInfo_Symbols.aspx
https://www.ndstudies.gov/curriculum/teacher-resources/state-symbols
https://sdsos.gov/general-information/about-state-south-dakota/state-seal-symbols.aspx
https://www.jocogov.org/newsroom/jan-29-kansas-day-test-your-knowledge-kansas-symbols
https://sos.nebraska.gov/state-symbols
https://www.travelok.com/about
https://wheretexasbecametexas.org/category/texas-state-symbols/
https://www.kansashistory.gov/p/kansas-symbols-state-symbols/15635
Mrs. Palmer & The Woman’s Building, Commemorative Book from the Congress of Women World’s Columbian Exposition Book