4-47 The State of Washington

The great state of Washington became the 42^nd state in the Union on November 11, 1889.  This state was named for George Washington, the first president of the USA.  Its state capital is Olympia.

Before the coming of the Europeans, the Native American Peoples inhabited what is now  the state of Washington. The  Nez Perce, Spokane, Yakima, Cayuse, Okanogan, Walla Walla, and Colville inhabited the interior, and the Nooksak, Chinook, Nisqually, Clallam, Makah, Quinault, and Puyallup inhabited the coastal area.

In June 1579 Sir Francis Drake sailed along the Oregon coast and possibly reached the coast of present-day Washington. He named the sighted land New Albion and claimed it for Queen Elizabeth I of England.  In the 18th century, Europeans were attracted to the coast of present-day Washington for the valuable fur of the sea otter, an animal found there in great numbers

In 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led the Corps of Discovery expedition on a two-year journey from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean and back.  On November 15, 1805, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark reached the Pacific Ocean near present-day Ilwaco, after having traveled a distance of over four thousand miles.  It was not long before settlers began settling the Oregon Territory.

Emblem/Symbol	Name of Emblem/Symbol	Adopted
Motto	"Alki" (By and By)
Nickname	"The Evergreen State"
State Seal		1889
State Bird	Willow Goldfinch	1951
State Flower	Coast Rhododendron	1892
State Song	"Washington, My Home"	1959
State Tree	Western Hemlock	1947
State Flag		1923
State Insect	Green Darner Dragonfly	1997
State Fish	Steelhead Trout	1969
State Marine Mammal	Orca	2005
State Fruit	Apple	1989
State Gemstone	Petrified Wood	1975
State Grass	Bluebunch Wheatgrass	1989

Complete the questions below.

1.  Washington became the 42^nd state in the Union on November 11,

2.  The state nickname is the "."

3.  Petrified wood is the state .

4.  The state marine mammal is the .

5.  The state of Washington is named after .

6.  "Washington, My Home" is the state .

7.  The state tree is the .

8.  The Green Darner Dragonfly is the state .

9.  Coast Rhododendron is the state .

10.  "Alki" means ().