The State Gemstone
lthough
the Legislature didn’t adopt the
Lake Superior agate as the official state
gemstone until 1969, agates were being formed about a billion years before
that.
As the North American continent began to split apart (caused by molten rock moving deep beneath the earth’s surface), iron-rich lava poured out of the huge crevasses. These flows are now exposed along the north and south shores of Lake Superior.
The stone’s red color comes from iron, the major industrial mineral in the state. The concentration of iron, and the extent to which the iron has oxidized, determines the color of the stone. Puddles of quartz-rich solutions that crystallized inside the gas pocket under low fluid pressure caused the white bands that are typically found in agates. The parallel nature of the bands indicates the agate’s position inside the lava flow.
Agates
usually are fairly small because the gas pockets in which they formed were
about the size of a pea. But some agates can be as large as bowling balls.
Characteristics of the agate include a glossy, waxy appearance, a pitted surface texture, and iron-oxide staining. The stone is translucent.
The State Song
ou
rarely hear it on the radio, and it has never made the top 40, but that
doesn’t mean it’s not a popular song — especially among Minnesotans.
The song is "Hail! Minnesota," and it has been the state song since 1945.
The song dates back to 1904 when it was sung in a University of Minnesota play, "The Apple of Discord, a Travesty," a comedy about a football game.
The song was originally written by student Truman E. Rickard, then later rewritten by another student, Arthur Upson. It became the school’s alma mater.
Through the 1920s, legislators battled over state song proposals and considered at least four, but reached no agreement. Finally, "Hail! Minnesota" was proposed.
In 1945, the university gave permission to the state to use it, as did author Rickard (Upson had died). Then the words were changed slightly from "Hail to thee our college dear," to "Hail to thee our state so dear."
Hail! Minnesota
Minnesota, hail to thee!
Hail to thee our state so dear,
Thy light shall ever be
A beacon bright and clear.
Thy sons and daughters true
Will proclaim thee near and far,
They will guard thy fame
And adore thy name;
Thou shalt be their Northern Star.
Like the stream that bends to sea,
Like the pine that seeks the blue;
Minnesota, still for thee
Thy sons are strong and true.
From thy woods and waters fair;
From thy prairies waving far,
At thy call they throng
With their shout and song;
Hailing thee their Northern Star.
1904
The State Butterfly
innesota may not be the only place where the
Monarch butterfly is
easily spotted, but the popular fluttering insect was named the State
Butterfly by the Legislature in 2000.
A group of fourth-graders from OH Anderson Elementary School in
Mahtomedi, Minn., proposed the idea for the State Butterfly to the
Legislature while combining two school projects — studying various
butterflies and learning about the lawmaking process.
The Monarch is one of six popular families of butterflies in Minnesota. Distinguished by their distinctive orange-brown wings, marked by black veins and a black border with two rows of spots, Monarchs cannot stand the cold winters here and will migrate south to Mexico every fall. Those that survive the winter travel north to Minnesota and Canada throughout the spring, laying eggs along the way. August is the best month to see Monarchs in Minnesota.
The State Photograph
world-renowned photograph became the state’s 14th state symbol.
Shot in Bovey, Minn. by Eric Enstrom in 1918, "Grace" features an elderly man sitting pensively with his head bowed and hands folded. He is leaning over a table, and on the table is a pair of spectacles resting atop a thick book, a bowl of gruel, a loaf of bread, and a knife.
A copy of the state photograph is displayed in the Office of the Secretary of State in St. Paul.
Enstrom shot the photograph in black and white, but as "Grace" became
more popular Enstrom’s daughter, Rhoda Nyberg, began hand painting the
prints in oil.
Louisiana has a state painting, and Tennessee has an official work of fine art. In addition, South Carolina has designated a state tapestry. However, Minnesota is the only state to have an official state photograph.
Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services Office • Government Series • State Symbols