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Illinois Facts & Stats
 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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