Legislature > Unofficial, Proposed, or Facetious State Symbols
Minnesota State Symbols--Unofficial, Proposed, or Facetious
Information relating to unofficial, proposed, or facetious Minnesota state symbols.
Additional information is found in the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.
See also a separate list of official symbols.
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AMUSEMENT RIDE:
The Tilt-A-Whirl was proposed as the State Amusement Ride in 2007 (HF2354/SF2141). A State Fair poll question at the House booth in 2007 asked, "Invented in Faribault in 1926, should the Tilt-A-Whirl be designated the State Amusement Ride?" 47.3% said yes, 21.5% responded no, and 31.2% were undecided. |
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ANIMAL/MAMMAL:
Legislation has been offered to designate the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus borealis) as the state animal at least eight times. The Eastern timber wolf (Canis lupus) has been proposed at least six times as the official Minnesota animal or mammal.
| White-Tailed Deer |
| 1989 |
HF573/SF152
SF41 |
| 1988 |
HF2107/SF1623 |
| 1987 |
HF982/SF179 |
| 1987 |
SF1602 |
| 1985 |
SF1426 |
| 1977 |
HF749 |
| 1973 |
HF142/SF291 |
| 1971 |
SF250 |
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| Eastern Timber Wolf |
| 2000 |
HF3508/SF3648 |
| 1989 |
SF288 |
| 1987 |
HF1663/SF1039 |
| 1985 |
SF1316 |
| 1973 |
SF340 |
| 1969 |
SF104 |
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A bill to designate the black bear as the official state mammal was introduced in 2012 (HF2144/SF1905), and in 2011 (HF1657/SF1376)
In addition, amendments have been introduced to designate the thirteen-lined ground squirrel (Citellus tridecemlineatus) as the state animal/mammal instead of the white-tailed deer. Such amendments were introduced in 1977 (attempt to amend HF 749 on page 1242 of the 1977 Journal of the House) and in 1973 (attempt to amend HF142 on page 290 of the 1973-1974 Journal of the House).
In 2000, Minnesota schoolchildren voted on whether the state mammal should be the wolf, the white-tailed deer or the gopher. The wolf received 208 votes; the deer got 129 votes and the gopher got 80.
A newspaper clipping from 1973 documents a citizen proposal to designate the wood tick as the official state animal. “If it were … since the loon is already the official state bird, we’d be the loon-and-tick state …” (St. Paul Pioneer Press, February 18, 1973, page 4).
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BEER:
Competing bills proposed the designation of a state beer in 1987. HF288/SF303 proposed Schell’s Deer Brand beer, while HF671 suggested Cold Spring beer.
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BOOK:
Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie was proposed as the Minnesota state book in 1990 (HF2663). Laura Ingalls Wilder's book On the Banks of Plum Creek was proposed as the state book in 1992 (HF1708/SF1592). |
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CANDY:
Licorice was proposed as the official candy of Minnesota in 1997 (HF144).
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COIN:
For a ten-year period from 1999 through 2008, the United States Mint commemorated each state by releasing a quarter honoring each state. Minnesota's quarter was released in 2005. The Minnesota coin design was selected by the members of the Minnesota State Quarter Commission.
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FOLK DANCE:
The square dance was proposed as the state folk dance in 1994 (HF2089/SF1699) and in 1992 (HF2251/SF2013) |
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FOSSIL:
Legislation was introduced in 1988 (SF1701/HF2653) which would have designated the Giant Beaver (Castoroides ohioensis) as the Minnesota state fossil.
Legislators suggested that the rynchotrema, the trilobite and the bison should all be considered as the state fossil in 1988, but legislation was not introduced.
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INSECT:
Clippings suggest a variety of insects as the state insect; however, no legislation has been introduced. Among the suggestions are the mosquito, the wood tick, the no-see-um and the corn borer.
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MINERAL:
Iron ore was proposed as the official Minnesota state mineral in 1990 (HF2716).
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NICKNAME/SLOGAN:
Three nicknames are used to refer to the state of Minnesota: The Gopher State; Land of
10,000 Lakes; and the North Star State.
In February 1858, the new Minnesota Legislature introduced the “Five Million Loan”
bill. The purpose of the bill was to provide money to build railroads in the state. A highly
controversial proposal, the bill ultimately passed. During the public debate, a cartoon was
circulated depicting the railroad tycoons as nine gophers with human heads pulling a Gopher Train.
Minnesota’s nickname “ the gopher state” came from this 1857 cartoon. A full
description of the Five Million Loan may be found in William Watts Folwell, A History of
Minnesota, Volume II (St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 1961), pages 37-58. In
fact, the nickname refers to the “striped gopher” which is not actually a gopher, but
is a thirteen-lined ground squirrel.
High resolution cartoon
Minnesota is called the “land of 10,000 lakes” despite the fact that there
are 11,842 lakes larger than 10
acres in size in the state. The legend of Paul Bunyan gives Paul and Babe the Blue Ox credit for
creating the lakes with their footprints. In reality, Minnesota’s many lakes were created by
the filling of depressions in the Minnesota landscape when four large glacier systems melted.
Read more about it: House Information, Minnesota State Government Series:
State Profile.
An official state slogan was proposed in 1959 (HF437), “your
vacation and convention dollar goes further in Minnesota.” The bill was amended to add,
following the word Minnesota, the phrase “-No Sales Tax!”.
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PARASITE:
In 1977, during debate on a bill giving leeches the same status of minnows in law (HF970), Senator Jack Davies considered offering an amendment proposing the leech as the Minnesota state parasite.
According to a news account, he was poking a jab at the recent heated debate over whether the gopher or white-tailed deer should be the state mammal. |
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SOUP:
Wild rice soup was proposed as the official state soup in 1998 (SF3419).
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