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Indiana Fun Facts

Population
The state ranks 14th in the nation in terms of population. According to the latest census taken in 2000, Indiana's population is 6,080,485.

State Flower
The state flower, adopted in 1957, is the peony.

State Bird
Adopted by the 1933 Indiana General Assembly, the state bird is the cardinal.

State Song
Written by Paul Dresser and adopted in 1913, the state song is "On the Banks of the Wabash."

"Oh, the moonlight's fair tonight along the
Wabash,
From the fields there comes the breath of new
mown hay.
Thro' the sycamores the candle lights are
gleaming,
On the banks of the Wabash, far away."

State Seal
Officially adopted by the 1963 Indiana General Assembly, the state seal depicts a pioneer scene: a woodsman is felling a tree, a buffalo fleeing from the sound of the axe and the sun gleaming over a distant hill. The seal has been in use since 1801, even though it wasn't adopted until 1963.

State Flag
Adopted in 1917, Indiana's state flag depicts its statehood.

• The rays symbolize far reaching influence.
• The torch represents liberty and enlightenment.
• The 13 stars in the outer circle around the torch signify the 13 original states.
• The 5 stars in the inner arc by the torch symbolize the next 5 states admitted to the union.
• The star above the torch stands for Indiana, which was the 19th state to join the union.

State Poem
"Indiana," written by Arthur Franklin Mapes of Kendallville, was adopted by the 1963 General Assembly.

"God crowned her hills with beauty,
Gave her lakes and winding streams,
Then He edged them all with woodlands
As the settings for our dreams.
Lovely are her moonlit rivers,
Shadowed by the sycamores,
Where the fragrant winds of Summer
Play along the willowed shores.
I must roam those wooded hillsides,
I must heed the native call,
For a pagan voice within me
Seems to answer to it all.
I must walk where squirrels scamper
Down a rustic old rail fence,
Where a choir of birds is singing
In the woodland, green and dense.
I must learn more of my homeland
For it's paradise to me,
There's no heaven quite as peaceful,
There's no place I'd rather be.
Indiana is a garden
Where the seeds of peach have grown,
Where each tree, and vine, and flower
Has a beauty all its own.
Lovely are the fields and meadows,
that reach out to hills that rise
Where the dreamy Wabash River
Wanders on ... through paradise."

The State Capitol

• The original state capitol was in Corydon until 1825, when it was moved to Indianapolis.
• The Indianapolis state capitol building was completed in 1888.
• In 1988, the Statehouse was returned to its original Victorian splendor in one of the more noteworthy preservation efforts in America.
• The Statehouse dome rises to a height of 105 feet up to the inside stained glass dome and another 130 feet to the top of the dome on the outside of the building.
• In the rotunda, large statues represent interests of Indiana state government: the male statues of Law and Oratory and the female statues of Justice, Agriculture, Art, Commerce, Liberty, and History.
• Some interesting busts of Hoosier natives can be found near the rotunda:
  • Stephen Neal, author of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution
  • Thomas Hendricks, former Indiana Governor and U.S. Vice-President
  • Daniel Vorhees, key figure in establishing the Library of Congress

The Branches of Government

• Executive: the Governor (Mitch Daniels), the Lieutenant Governor (Becky Skillman), the Secretary of State (Todd Rokita), the State Treasurer (Richard Mourdock), the State Auditor (Tim Berry), the Attorney General (Steve Carter), and the Superintendent of the Department of Education (Suellen Reed)
• Legislative: the House of Representatives and the Senate
• Judicial: the Supreme and Appellate Courts House of Representatives
  • With 100 state representatives, this is the larger of the two legislative bodies. Representatives are elected to two-year terms. The representatives function as citizen legislators by maintaining a
  • full-time career in addition to their elected duties.
  • All bills which raise revenue must originate in the House
  • The General Assembly meets for 60 session days in odd-numbered years with adjournment no later than April 29; for 29 session days in even-numbered years with adjournment on or before March 14.
  • The Speaker is the presiding officer of the House.
  • The House Chamber:
    • was remodeled in 1947, 1966, and 1985
    • has a chandelier weighing 1,200 lbs. with 100 lights, one for each representative
    • contains the mural, "The Spirit of Indiana."

Did You Know...

• The state colors are blue and gold.
• Indiana is the first state to have a chapel in its state capitol. It was built in memory of former first lady Beth Bowen.
• The state motto, adopted in 1937, is "The Crossroads of America."
• The state seal has been used since 1801 and was officially adopted in 1963. The meaning behind the seal is "how the early people of Indiana overcame the wilderness."
• Indiana was the 19th state to enter the union.