Utah

We just learned about the state of Texas

Utah is a state in the west part of the US.
It's nickname is the Beehive State and it's motto is Industry.

(from: wikipedia - Utah)

The flag of Utah is dark blue, with the state seal in the middle.
The state seal shows the American eagle, a shield for defense, a beehive, a Sego Lily which is the state flower, and the US flag.

(from: wikipedia - flag of utah)

The Great Salt Lake in Utah is the largest salt lake in the west side of the earth.

(from: wikipedia - great salt lake)

Long ago it used to take about six months to get from one side of the US to the other, and people worked to make a railroad to go all the way across the US.
Once it was completed it took about one week instead of six months to make the trip!
This was called the Transcontinental Railroad, and when the railroad was finished, the last railroad spike was put in at Promontory Summit, Utah.
That railroad spike was called the Golden Spike, and it is now in a museum.
When they put in the spike, they used a telegram which was a way to send messages before there were phones, and they told the whole country it was done and everyone celebrated.


(from: wikipedia - golden spike)

Delicate Arch is a natural stone arch near Moab Utah

(from: wikipedia - delicate arch)

Zion National park is a mountain area that has many beautiful rock formations, like an area that is called the Subway.

(from: wikipedia - subway (canyoneering))


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Texas

We just learned about the US state of Tennessee.

Texas is a state in the southwest part of the US, bordering Mexico to the south.

It's nickname is The Lone Star State, and it's motto is Friendship.

Texas is the 2nd largest state in the US after Alaska, and it has the 2nd most people of any state after California.

(from: wikipedia - texas)

The flag of Texas is a blue stripe with a white star, a white stripe and a red star.

(from: wikipedia - flag of texas)

The seal of Texas has two sides. On one side is a star with olive and oak branches around it.

On the other side is a picture of the Alamo, the cannon of the Battle of Gonzales, Vince's bridge, and the flags of France, Spain, Mexico, Texas, the Confederacy, and the United States of America.
The six different flags are for the six different nations that have controlled Texas.

(from: wikipedia - seal of texas)

The Alamo is a place in Texas where a big battle took place between the people of Texas and Mexico.
The Mexican army won the battle, but people in Texas were so angry about losing the battle that they all fought hard together and came back to beat Mexico.
People in later battles would shout "Remember the Alamo!" to help keep everyone fighting hard to win.

(from: wikipedia - alamo mission in san antonio)

A special type of cattle in Texas is called the Texas Longhorn because it has really long horns.

(from: wikipedia - texas longhorn)

There is a NASA space center called Johnson Space Center in Houston.
During the Apollo 13 space mission where some things went wrong after the astronauts were launched into outer space, they said over the radio to the control center Houston we have a problem and it has become a famous saying for when something goes wrong.

(from: wikipedia - christopher c. kraft jr. mission control center)
Dwight D. Eisenhower from Texas was the 34th president of the US, in 1953.

(from: wikipedia - dwight d. eisenhower)

Lyndon B. Johnson from Texas was the 36th president of the US, in 1963.

(from: wikipedia - lyndon b. johnson)


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Tennessee

We just learned about the US state of South Dakota.

Tennessee is a state in the southeastern part of the US.
It's nickname is The Volunteer State because in the War of 1812 they sent so many volunteers to fight for the US.
It's state motto is Agriculture and Commerce for the farming and businesses of the state.

(from: wikipedia - tennessee)

The flag of Tennessee has three stars on it, for the West, Middle and East part of Tennessee which are all very different from each other.
The west side has lots of low flat land and is very wet and can grow lots of cotton.
The middle has rolling hills and has the state's capitol.
The east is mostly mountains and has the Appalachian mountain range going through it.

(from: wikipedia - flag of tennessee)

The seal of Tennessee has a plow, wheat, cotton and the word Agriculture on top, and a boat with the word Commerce on the bottom to show the importance of farming and river business in the state.

(from: wikipedia - seal of tennessee)

The Appalachian mountain range goes through Tennessee.
One of the mountain ranges there is called the Smoky Mountains.
They got the name Smoky because of the fog that is around the mountains looking like smoke.
The park there has the most black bears of any place in the US.


(from: wikipedia - great smoky mountains)

Nashville, Tennessee is known as the home of country music, and had a big country music show called the Grand Ole Opry for a long time where famous country music singers would come and perform.

(from: wikipedia - grand ole opry)


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South Dakota

We just learned about the state of South Carolina

Another US state is South Dakota

South Dakota is a state in the midwest part of the US, just south of North Dakota.
It's nickname is The Mount Rushmore State, and it's motto is Under God the people rule.

(from: wikipedia - south dakota)

The flag of South Dakota is blue with yellow letters, and has a picture of the state seal in the middle surrounded by yellow triangles that look like the sun's rays.
The state seal shows hills, a river with a boat, a farmer, a mine, and cattle for all the farming and nature in the state.

(from: wikipedia - flag of south dakota)

Mount Rushmore is a large sculpture of the faces of four presidents, carved into the side of a mountain.
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

(from: wikipedia - mount rushmore)

The badlands is a park in South Dakota that has many wonderful things to see in nature

(from: wikipedia - badlands national park)

Just like Mt. Rushmore, there are people trying to make a carving in a mountain of the famous Native American warrior named Crazy Horse.
It is still being worked on, and the people making it started over 50 years ago.

(from: wikipedia - crazy horse memorial)


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South Carolina

We just learned about the US state of Rhode Island.

South Carolina is a state in the southeast part of the US, right on the Atlantic Ocean.

It's nickname is The Palmetto State, and it's mottos are Dum spiro spero which means While I Breathe I Hope, and Animis opibusque parati which means Prepared in Mind and Resources.


(from: wikipedia - south carolina)

The flag of south carolina is blue with a white palmetto tree and a white crescent.
The crescent is for soldiers that fought in the revolutionary war that used that crescent on their uniforms.
The palmetto tree was very strong and when it was stacked on sand it could block canon balls that were fired, so it was an important part of the war.


(from: wikipedia - south carolina)

The first battle of the civil war was in South Carolina, at a place called Fort Sumter.

(from: wikipedia - fort sumter)

One of the oldest buildings in South Carolina, built in the 1700s is called the Pink House, as it was built using Pink Bermuda Stone.

(from: wikipedia - pink house (charleston, south carolina))

The Citadel is one of the largest military colleges in the US.

(from: wikipedia - the citadel, the military college of south carolina)

The 7th President of the US Andrew Jackson was born in South Carolina.
He was president from 1829 to 1837.


(from: wikipedia - andrew jackson)


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Rhode Island

We just learned about the US State of Pennsylvania.

Rhode Island is a state on the northeast part of the US, right on the Atlantic Ocean.

It's nickname is The Ocean State and Little Rhody, and it's motto is Hope.
The full name of the state is State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

It is the smallest state in the US, but it has the longest name of any state.
There are over 30 islands in Rhode Island.


(from: wikipedia - rhode island)

The flag of Rhode Island is an anchor with the state motto of Hope above it.
It was based on the sentence from the Bible, "Hope we have as an anchor of the soul.".


(from: wikipedia - flag of rhode island)

The oldest working chain suspended carousel is the Watch Hill carousel.

(from: wikipedia - watch hill carousel)

One of the bridges to an island is called Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge

(from: wikipedia - claiborne pell newport bridge)

A long time ago in Rhode Island they thought there were vampires because they didn't understand the disease known as tuberculosis.


(from: wikipedia - new england vampire panic)


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Pennsylvania

We just learned about the US State of Oregon.

Pennsylvania is a state in the eastern part of the US.
It's state nicknames are Keystone State and Quaker State.
It's motto is Virtue, Liberty and Independence.

(from: wikipedia - pennsylvania)

The flag of Pennsylvania is blue, with the state seal on it.
The state seal has an American bald eagle, horses, ships, a plough, wheat sheaves, an olive branch and a corn stalk.

(from: wikipedia - flag and coat of arms of pennsylvania)

The chocolate capitol of the US is in Hershey Pennsylvania, where Hershey's chocolate is made.
They have a place called Chocolate World where they have information about how the chocolate is made, and a roller coaster park nearby called Hersheypark.

(from: wikipedia - hershey, pennsylvania)

The oldest pretzel bakery in the US was Sturgis Pretzel house

(from: wikipedia - sturgis pretzel house)

Philadelphia was a very important city through American history.
It was the capitol in the Revolutionary war, it was the location where the declaration of independence was signed, and it is where the liberty bell is along with more statues than any other city in the US.

(from: wikipedia - philadelphia)

James Buchanan who was born in Pennsylvania, was the 15th President of the US, in 1857

(from: wikipedia - james buchanan)


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Oregon

We just learned about the state of Oklahoma.

Oregon is a state on the west coast of the US, just north of California.

It's nickname is the Beaver State, and it's motto is Alis volat propriis which means She flies with her own wings.

(from: wikipedia - oregon)

The state flag of Oregon has a blue background and a yellow foreground.
On one side is a picture of a beaver, the state animal.
On the other side is the state seal.
On the state seal is an eagle above a shield that shows mountains, an elk, a covered wagon, the Pacific Ocean, a British ship, an American ship, a sheaf, a plow and a pickaxe.

Oregon is the only state in the US that has two different sides on either side of it's flag.

(from: wikipedia - flag of oregon)

There is a large stratovolcano in Oregon called Mount Mazama.
It erupted a long long time ago, and now where the peak of the mountain was is a lake called Crater Lake.
In the middle of the lake is an island called Wizard Island, made when they volcano erupted.

(from: wikipedia - mount mazama)

The books written by author Beverly Cleary about Henry, Ramona and Beezus were supposed to take place on a street in Portland Oregon. There is a park nearby that has statues of the children to honor the author's writings.

(from: wikipedia - grant park, portland, oregon)


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Oklahoma

We just learned about the US state of Ohio.

Oklahoma is a state in the middle of the US.

It's nickname is the Sooner State. Sooner was the name of the people who came to the land before it was part of the US.
It's motto is Labor omnia vincit which means Hard work conquers all things.


(from: wikipedia - oklahoma)

The flag of Oklahoma is a buffalo skin shield with eagle feathers on a blue background.

(from: wikipedia - flag of oklahoma)

The seal of Oklahoma is a star in a circle.
The pictures in the star are for the five Native American tribes in Oklahoma, Chickasaw, Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek and Seminole.
The stars are for the 45 other states when Oklahoma became a state.


(from: wikipedia - seal of oklahoma)

Oklahoma is in an area called Tornado Alley, because they have more tornadoes than many other places.

(from: wikipedia - oklahoma)

One of the first highways to go all the way across the US was called US 66.
That highway started in Oklahoma, the first road going from Tulsa Oklahoma to Texas.

(from: wikipedia - u.s. route 66)


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