"Under God the People Rule"
The South Dakota state motto was adopted in 1885 and is also
featured on the state seal. This adoption of motto and seal took
place four years before South Dakota joined the Union.
The South Dakota state motto "Under God the People Rule" was
suggested by Dr. Joseph Ward (founder of Yankton College) at the
Constitutional Convention. Dr. Ward was also the one to suggest
the
North Dakota state motto .
The emphasis of belief in God or another Deity like figure is
not only conveyed in the South Dakota state motto but also
appear in the state mottos of
Arizona,
Colorado,
Florida, and
Ohio.
South Dakota State Nicknames
Whereas there is only one South Dakota motto, there exist a
number of state nicknames for South Dakota:
"Mount Rushmore State" (Official)
This official South Dakota state nickname is a reference to the
giant granite sculpture in Mount Rushmore made by Gutzon
Borglum.
The Mount Rushmore National Memorial pays tribute to the
first 150 years of the United States' history featuring the
former Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore
Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.
"The Sunshine State"
This is one of South Dakota's attempts at attracting tourists.
"The Artesian State"
This South Dakota nickname is a refers to the large number of
artesian wells found in South Dakota.
"The Coyote State"
Coyotes were so plentiful in state that it made ground for this
nickname.
"The Blizzard State"
Rough winters in South Dakota are the reason for this nickname
which is also shared with Texas
Texas.
South Dakota Slogans
Whereas the South Dakota motto intends to describe values
important to South Dakota, South Dakota state slogans focus
especially on attracting tourists, and as you will see, some are
more conventional than others:
"South Dakota: Great Faces. Great Places"
This is the South Dakota state slogan which appear on the
website of the South Dakota Office of Tourism:
TravelSD.com
"South Dakota: Closer Than North Dakota"
"South Dakota: Home of the Badlands and Huge Drugstores"
Some of these South Dakota
funny state slogans can be bought on t-shirts.
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