MISSOURI

State of Missouri

ORIGIN OF STATE NAME: Probably from the Iliniwek Indian word missouri, meaning "owners of big canoes." NICKNAME: The Show Me State. CAPITAL: Jefferson City. ENTERED UNION: 10 August 1821 (24th). SONG: "Missouri Waltz." MOTTO: Salus populi suprema lex esto (The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law). COAT OF ARMS: Two grizzly bears standing on a scroll inscribed with the state motto support a shield portraying an American eagle and a constellation of stars, a grizzly bear on all fours, and a crescent moon, all encircled by the words "United We Stand, Divided We Fall." Above are a sixbarred helmet and 24 stars; below, the roman numeral MDCCCXX (1820), when Missouri's first constitution was adopted. FLAG: Three horizontal stripes of red, white, and blue, with the coat of arms, encircled by 24 white stars on a blue band, in the center. OFFICIAL SEAL: The coat of arms surrounded by the words "The Great Seal of the State of Missouri." BIRD: Bluebird. INSECT: Honeybee. FLOWER: White Hawthorn blossom. TREE: Flowering dogwood. ROCK: Mozarkite (chert or flint rock). MINERAL: Galena. LEGAL HOLIDAYS: New Year's Day, 1 January; Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., 3rd Monday in January; Lincoln's Birthday, 12 February; Washington's Birthday, 3rd Monday in February; Harry S. Truman's Birthday, 8 May; Memorial Day, last Monday in May; Independence Day, 4 July; Primary Election Day; 1st Tuesday after 1st Monday in August (every four years); Labor Day, 1st Monday in September; Columbus Day, 2nd Monday in October; Election Day, 1st Tuesday after 1st Monday in November (every four years); Veterans Day, 11 November; Thanksgiving Day, 4th Thursday in November; Christmas Day, 25 December. Though not a legal holiday, Missouri Day, the 3rd Wednesday in October, is commemorated in schools each year. TIME: 6 AM CST = noon GMT.