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 This web page contains some fast facts about the great state of Illinois from your friends at Milne-Kelvin Grove District 91 in Lockport, Illinois.
 Statehood:
December 03, 1818, 21st state to enter the Union, 1818 population - 34,620
State Animal: White-tailed Deer...Illinois schoolchildren voted to select the white-tailed deer as the state animal in 1980. The vote was made official by the General Assembly in 1982.
 State Bird: Cardinal...In 1928, Illinois schoolchildren selected the cardinal as the State Bird of Illinois. The General Assembly made that designation official in 1929.
State Dance: Square Dance...The Square Dance was designated as the official state dance in 1990.
 State Fish: Bluegill...Schoolchildren selected the Bluegill as the state fish in 1986. Although the Bluegill grows to only about 9 inches in length and weighs less than a pound, it has a reputation as one of the best fighting game fish.
 State Flag: The bald eagle represents the United States. In its beak it holds a streamer with the state motto on it. The state motto means that Illinois governs itself under the government of the United States. In the eagle’s claws is a shield with thirteen bars and thirteen stars, this represents the first thirteen states. The two dates on the boulder are the dates of Statehood and of the State Seal. The ground around it symbolizes the state’s rich prairie soil.
 State Flower: Purple Violet...
n 1907, Illinois school children selected the Violet as the State Flower of Illinois. In 1908, the General Assembly approved a bill to make this official.
State Fossil: Tully Monster...The Tully Monster is the state fossil. The Tully Monster was a soft-bodied marine animal that lived 280 to 340 million years ago. More than 100 Tully Monster fossils have been found in Illinois. More about the Tully from the Illinois State Museum:
"The Tully Monster was first found by Mr. Francis Tully in 1958. He took the specimen to the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago. The specimen defied identification and became known as the "Tully Monster." The name stuck. When Dr. Eugene Richardson formally described the new animal, he gave it the name Tullimonstrum gregarium.
The species name gregarium means common. This refers to the fact that Tully Monsters are fairly common fossils in the Mazon Creek deposits. More recently they have also been found in open-pit coal mines in central Illinois.
The Mazon Creek deposits are located in Will and Grundy Counties. They are some of the most important fossil deposits in North America because the soft parts of many organisms are preserved. The deposits contain the remains of both plants and animals. Some of the organisms lived in the ocean; others were washed in from the nearby shore. The material is preserved in concretions of ironstone."
 State Insect: Monarch Butterfly...n 1974 a third-grader from Decatur suggested that the monarch butterfly become the state insect. Schoolchildren lobbied for the monarch butterfly and the General Assembly passed a bill making it official in 1975.
State Mineral: Fluorite...The General Assembly established Fluorite as the state mineral in 1965. Illinois is the largest producer of Fluorite in the United States. Fluorite is used in making steel, enamels, aluminum, glass, and many chemicals.
State Motto: State sovereignty, national union
State Nickname: Prairie State
Origin of state's name: Algonquin Indian for "tribe of superior men"
State Prairie Grass: Big Bluestem...In 1989 the Big Bluestem became the state prairie grass. The General Assembly adopted this designation following a poll of students conducted by the Illinois Department of Conservation.
 State Slogan: "Land of Lincoln"
The slogan was adopted by the General Assembly in 1955. The State of Illinois has a copyright for the exclusive use of the slogan.
 State Song: Illinois
Lyrics by Charles H. Chamberlin & music by Archibald Johnston - see lyrics below.
State Tree: White Oak...In 1973, a special poll of 900,000 schoolchildren changed the State Tree from the Native Oak to the White Oak.
Illinois
Written by C.H. Chamberlain
Composed by Archibald Johnston
By thy rivers gently flowing, Illinois, Illinois,
O'er thy prairies verdant growing, Illinois, Illinois,
Comes an echo on the breeze.
Rustling through the leafy trees, and its mellow tones are these, Illinois, Illinois,
And its mellow tones are these, Illinois.
From a wilderness of prairies, Illinois, Illinois,
Straight thy way and never varies, Illinois, Illinois,
Till upon the inland sea,
Stands thy great commericial tree, turning all the world to thee, Illinois, Illinois,
Turning all the world to thee, Illinois.
When you heard your country calling, Illinois, Illinois,
Where the shot and shell were falling, Illinois, Illinois,
When the Southern host withdrew,
Pitting Gray against the Blue, There were none more brave than you, Illinois, Illinois,
There were none more brave than you, Illinois.
Not without thy wondrous story, Illinois, Illinois,
Can be writ the nation's glory, Illinois, Illinois,
On the record of thy years,
Abraham Lincoln's name appears, Grant and Logan, and our tears, Illinois, Illinois,
Grant and Logan, and our tears, Illinois.
The 54th Illinois General Assembly enacted legislation establishing the State Song.
source: Illinois Blue Book, 1983-1984
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