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The Willow Ptarmigan
(Lagopus lagopus) was named the State BIRD
on February 4, 1955. |
The Pre-1964
Winchester Model 70 bolt-action rifle
became Alaska's official State BOLT-ACTION
RIFLE on July 30, 2014. |
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The Alaskan Malamute
was designated the official State DOG on
April 18, 2010, thanks to the efforts of students
at Polaris K-12 School in Anchorage (guided by
teachers Terry Powers, Jamie Rodriguez, and Carol
Bartholomew). |
The Giant King Salmon
(Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) became the
official State FISH in 1962. |
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The state Flag
was designed by a 13-year-old schoolboy, and was
adopted in 1927. The blue field is for the sky
and the forget-me-not, the state flower. The
North Star is for the future of the state of
Alaska, the most northerly of the Union. The
dipper is for the Great Bear, symbolizing
strength. |
The Forget-Me-Not
(Myosotis alpestris) became the official
State FLOWER in 1917. |
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The state FOSSIL
is the Wooly Mammoth (Mammuthus
primigenius), as per an act of the 1986 State
Legislature. |
Jade was
named the State GEM in 1968.
Alaska has large deposits of the gem, including
an entire mountain of jade on the Seward
Peninsula. |
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Alaska has two official state HOLIDAYS.
Seward's Day, celebrated on the
last Monday in March, commemorates the signing of
the treaty by which the United
States bought Alaska from Russia, signed on
March 30, 1867. Alaska Day,
celebrated on October 18, celebrates the
anniversary of the formal transfer of the
territory and the raising of the U.S. flag at
Sitka on October 18, 1867. |
The State INSECT
is the Four Spot Skimmer Dragonfly
(Libellula quadrimaculata). The bill to so
designate this insect was introduced by Senator
Georgianna Lincoln on behalf of elementary
students in her district, and passed by the 1995
State Legislature. |
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The State LAND MAMMAL is
the Moose (Alces alces),
which was so designated in 1998. |
The State MARINE
MAMMAL is the Bowhead Whale (Balaena
mysticetus), as per the 1983 State
Legislature. |
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Gold, which
has played a major role in Alaska's history, was
named the official State MINERAL
in 1968. |
The state Motto,
"North to the Future," was chosen in
1967 during the Alaska Purchase Centenial and was
created by Juneau newsman Richard Peter. The
motto is meant to represent Alaska as a land of
promise. |
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The state Nickname
is "The Last Frontier," which alludes
to the fact that much of Alaska remains
unpopulated. |
The state SEAL
was originally designed in 1910. The rays above
the mountains represent the Northern Lights. The
smelter symbolizes mining. The train stands for
Alaska's railroads, and ships denote
transportation by sea. The trees symbolize
Alaska's wealth of forests, and the farmer, his
horse, and the three shocks of wheat represent
Alaskan agriculture. The fish and the seals
signify the importance of fishing and wildlife to
Alaska's economy. It was officially adopted in
1913. |
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Dog Mushing,
which was once a primary form of transportation
in many areas of Alaska, was named the official
State SPORT in 1972. |
The Sitka Spruce
(Picea sitchensis), which is found in
southeastern and central Alaska, was named the
official State TREE in 1962. |
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