4-27 The State of Nebraska

The great state of Nebraska became the 37^th state in the Union on March 1, 1867.  The name Nebraska is from an Oto Indian word that means "flat water" (referring to the Platte River, which means "flat river" in French)  The capital is Lincoln.

In 1541, Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado led an expedition across the U.S. Southwest into Kansas.  He claimed the entire territory for Spain, although Spaniards never established settlements in Nebraska.  The Pawnees hunted buffalo on the plains of Nebraska and farmed beans, corn and squash.  In the 18th century, the Omaha, Ponca and Oto tribes entered eastern Nebraska and lived near the Missouri River. Other tribes, such as the Teton Sioux (Lakotas), Arapahos and Cheyennes, migrated westward from forested areas north and east of the Missouri River.  Altogether, the various tribes living in the Nebraska area may have numbered about 40,000 in 1800.  The Kansas-Nebraska Act officially created the Kansas and Nebraska territories, opening the area to settlement west of the Missouri River.  Many pioneer and cattle trails crossed Nebraska using such landmarks like Scottsbluff (National Monument) and Chimney Rock.  The Union Pacific railroad  linked the east and west coasts with the Golden Spike in Omaha.  In early 1867, Congress passed an act admitting Nebraska to the Union.

Emblem/Symbol	Name of Emblem/Symbol	Adopted
Motto	"Equality before the law"
Nickname	Cornhusker State
State Seal		1867
State Bird	Western Meadowlark	1929
State Flower	Goldenrod	1895
State Song	"Beautiful Nebraska"	1967
State Tree	Cottonwood	1972
State Flag		1925
State Insect	Honeybee	1975
State Fish	Channel Catfish	1997
State Mammal	White-tailed Deer	1981
State Rock	Prairie Agate	1967
State Gemstone	Blue Chalcedony	1967
State River	Platte River	1998
State Grass	Little Bluestem	1969

Complete the questions below.

1.  Nebraska became the 37^th state in the Union on March 1, .

2.  "Equality before the law" is the state .

3.  The state bird is the .

4.  The Platte River means .

5.  Prairie Agate is the state .

6.  The state fish is the .

7.  Blue Chalcedony is the state .

8.  The state song is ""

9.  The state tree is the .

10.  The state nickname is the .