1. Utah’s State Symbols

2. State Flag and Seal Beehive - hard work and industry
Date Mormons came to Utah
Bald Eagle - protection
Sego Lily - peace
U.S. Flag - support to the nation
Adopted in Revised in 1913
The Legislature of Utah by an act, approved April 3, 1896, provides for the State seal and specifies: "That 'The Great Seal of the State of Utah' shall be two and one-half inches in diameter, with the following device inscribed thereon: "In the center thereof a shield, with the American eagle with outstretched wings perched thereon; the top portion of said shield thereof pierced by six arrows; across the shield, below the arrows, the word 'Industry' appears, and beneath the word 'Industry' a beehive, on either side of which are growing sego lilies. Directly below the beehive are the figures '1847,' and on either side of said shield is our National flag. Encircling all, near the outer edge of said Seal, beginning at the lower left hand portion and ending at the lower right hand portion thereof, are the words, 'The Great Seal of the State of Utah,' at the base are the figures '1896.'"
The Great Seal Rule states, in section R Custody and Use, "The lieutenant governor shall keep custody of the Great Seal of the state of Utah; to keep a register of, and attest, the official acts of the governor; and to affix the Great Seal, with an attestation, to all official documents and instruments to which the official signature of the governor is required. In addition, the Lieutenant Governor of Utah shall be the only agent authorized to affix the seal to any document for the purpose of attesting, certifying, or otherwise formalizing a document. No facsimile or reproduction of the Great Seal may be manufactured, used, displayed, or otherwise employed by anyone without the written approval of the Lieutenant Governor."
Utah State Flag
Each state in the country has customarily adopted a state Flag. Since the colonial Days of 1775 each state designed their flags to help distinguish the ideas and tradition of that particular state. The original Utah State Flag was adopted by the State Legislature in 1896 and revised in The beehive on the shield stands for hard work and industry. The date 1847 is the year the Mormons came to Utah. A bald eagle, the United States national bird, perches atop the shield and symbolizes protection in peace and war. The sego lily is a symbol of peace and a U.S. flag appears on each side, symbolizing Utah's support to the nation. The Utah State Flag, as we know it today, was originally designed for the battleship Utah in It was later made the official flag of Utah when Governor William Spry signed House Joint Resolution I in More information

3. Emblem - The Beehive Industry
Pioneer virtues of thrift and perseverance
Emblem for State of Deseret in 1848
Kept on the seal in Utah statehood
Official Emblem on March 4, 1959
The beehive became the official state emblem on March 4, Utahns relate the beehive symbol to industry and the pioneer virtues of thrift and perseverance. The beehive was chosen as the emblem for the provisional State of Deseret in 1848 and was maintained on the seal of the State of Utah when Utah became a state in 1896.

4. Motto - Industry Associated with symbol of beehive
Pioneers had few resources
Pioneers had to rely on own Industry
“Industry” on State Seal and Flag
"Industry" officially became the State Motto on March 4, l959. "Industry is associated with the symbol of the beehive. The early pioneers had few material resources at their disposal and therefore had to rely on their own "industry" to survive. The word "industry" appears on both the State Seal and the State Flag.

5. Song Changed from “Utah, We Love Thee” in 2003 Cook Elementary School
By Sam and Gary Francis
Utah State Song "Utah, This is the Place"
The 2003 Utah State Legislature voted to change the state song from "Utah, We Love Thee" to "Utah, This is the Place." Utah´s original state song was then designated as the Utah State Hymn in HB223. Rep. Dana Love, R-Syracuse, sponsored the bill at the behest of the Cook Elementary School class in Syracuse who, as quoted in article from the Salt Lake Tribune on Friday, February 28, 2003, "...they didn´t like the current state song, Utah We Love Thee, that it wasn´t very much fun to sing." The Cook Elementary School fourth-graders sang it to Utah senators before they voted on the change.
In 1996, Sam and Gary Francis wrote "Utah, This Is The Place" for Utah´s centennial celebration. Since then, the song has grown in popularity with children, especially among fourth-graders who learn it as part of their study of Utah history. There was some doubt if "Utah, This Is The Place" could become the Utah State Song since Sam and Gary Francis would hold copyright to the new state song, and gain royalties every time it was sung. Rep. Gordon Snow, R-Roosevelt asked Rep. Dana Love and she wasn´t sure of the answer, but someone, later identified as one of the composers, in the Legislative gallery shouted out "yes! when Snow asked if the copyright would be given up. The House adopted the tune. (according to an article appearing in the Salt Lake Tribune, Thursday, February 13, 2003).

6. Mineral - Copper Kennecott’s Bingham Canyon Mine
World’s largest open-pit copper mine
Conductive properties - heat and electricity
Became the state mineral in 1994
Utah's State Mineral, copper, was enacted by the Utah State Legislature in 1994 (Utah Code). It is versatile and widely used due mainly to its conductive properties (heat and electricity). It is used in electronics, plumbing, transportation, and in alloys (a mixture of two or more metals). Most of the copper mined in Utah comes from Kennecott's Bingham Canyon mine in the Oquirrh Mountains on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley. The Bingham Canyon mine is the world's largest open-pit copper mine, measuring 0.5 miles deep and 2.5 miles wide. For perspective, the world's tallest building, the Sears Tower, is l,454 feet tall and would reach only half way up the side of the pit. the mine has produced 12 million tons of copper since open-pit operations began in This production figure is eight times the total metallic mineral yield from the Comstock Lode, Klondike, and California Gold Rushes combined. The Bingham Canyon mine is an important contributor to Utah's economy.

7. Gem - Topaz Semiprecious gem Found in Beaver, Juab, and Tooele
Almost as hard as a diamond
November birthstone
Myths and Legends
The Topaz became the State Gem in 1969 (Utah Code). It is a semiprecious gem found in Beaver, Juab and Tooele counties of Utah. Small perfect cyrstals are found with quartz, hematite, bixbyite, garnet, pseudobrookite, amethyst, cristobalite, durangite, cassiterite and red beryl in cavities in rhyolite on Thomas Mountain, Juab County.
This hard gem is an aluminum fluorisilicate and is next in hardness to carborundum and diamonds (two of the hardest natural minerals around). Until the 1950s, topaz was generally known as a yellow or golden gemstone. Since then, routine radiation and heat treatment of pale-colored topaz to turn it blue has changed the modern public's perception of this gem. Constructed of atoms of aluminum, silicon, fluorine, and oxygen, topaz usually is colorless to pale blue or yellow -- although pink stones can be produced by heating the golden brown topaz from Ouro Preto, Brazil.
Thomas Range topaz obtained their color from natural radiation during their formation in vent pipes which trapped volatile gases in cavities within the host rhyolites. When unearthed they glow with a vibrant sherry color and with exposure to direct sunlight for awhile will generally turn clear. The sunlight (also UV radiation) reacts with the color centers in the topaz crystal structure displacing electrons which in turn change the color. However, some locations do produce topaz that fade to a beautiful pink color. Some topaz are "tougher" than others and do not have as weak a cleavage plane as the Thomas Range topaz which usually they cleave with a flat top. A favorite location for the mineral collectors and rockhounds is called "The Cove" on the southern end of the Thomas Range.
Wear topaz only if you wish to be clear-sighted: legend has it that it dispels all enchantment and helps to improve eyesight as well! The ancient Greeks believed that it had the power to increase strength and make its wearer invisible in times of emergency. Topaz was also said to change color in the presence of poisoned food or drink. Its mystical curative powers waxed and waned with the phases of the moon: it was said to cure insomnia, asthma, and hemorrhages.Topaz is the birthstone of November
The topaz specimen pictured is from the Maynard Claims, Juab County and is about 3 inches tall. Photo of this Utah born topaz courtesy of Walter Mroch, Gem and Mineral Exploration Company, co-author of "A Field Guide to Topaz and Associated Minerals of the Thomas Range, Utah.

8. Bird - California Gull Crickets and gulls of 1848
Sea Gull Monument unveiled in 1913
Pearly-blue sometimes streaked blackish gray.
Gymnasts of the sky
Beneficial to farmers
Gentle creatures
The California gull, Larus californicus, was selected as the state bird of Utah by an act of the legislature in 1955 (Utah Code).
The gull is considered the state bird of Utah by common consent, probably in commemoration of the fact that these gulls saved the people of the State by eating up the Rocky mountain crickets which were destroying the crops in 1848.
Orson F. Whitney says that in the midst of the devastation of the crickets, "when it seemed that nothing could stay the devastation, great flocks of gulls appeared, filling the air with their white wings and plaintive cries, and settled down upon the half-ruined fields. fields. All day long they gorged themselves, and when full, disgorged and feasted again, the white gulls upon the black crickets, list hosts of heaven and hell contending, until the pests were vanquished and the people were saved." After devouring the crickets, the gulls returned "to the lake islands whence they came."
The gull is about two feet long. The color of this bird is pearly-blue. It is sometimes barred or streaked with blackish gray. Aeronautic wizards, gulls are gymnasts of the sky, making the seemingly impossible appear effortless. They can appear motionless in midair by catching wind currents with perfect timing and precision while positioning their bodies at just the right angle. They are quiet birds, considered quite beneficial by agriculturalists, and are usually gentle creatures, exhibiting neither antagonism to nor fondness for man.
The Sea Gull Monument in Salt Lake City honors the gull, Utah´s state bird. Two sculptured gulls stand atop the monument which was unveiled in For more information on Temple Square see
Biography of Mohanri Young who sculpted the Sea Gull Monument.

9. Animal - Rocky Mountain Elk
Sometimes called Wapiti
Once plentiful across US and Canada
Member of the deer family
Male’s antlers spread up to 5 feet
Usually eat the grasses
Wolves and Cougars among natural enemies
The Rocky Mountain elk, Cervus canadensis, became the official state animal in 1971 (Utah Code).
Sometimes called wapiti by the Shawnee Indians and the scientists of later times, the American Elk was first named by early English colonists.   They were once found over most of the United States and southern Canada, but hunters have killed so many of them that they survive only in regions west of the Rocky Mountains.  The largest herds live in Yellowstone Park, on Montana´s Sun River, and in Washington´s Olympic Mountains.  They are also plentiful on most mountain ranges in Utah.
A member of the deer family, the elk lives in close association with the deer and moose throughout much of Utah. Only the male elk carry antlers. They can spread more than 5 feet.  Antlers grow during the summer and are shed in the late winter.  The cows (female elk) are smaller than the male and do not have antlers.  Mature bulls stand up to 60 inches at the shoulder and may weigh over 700 pounds.
They usually eat the grasses.  they also eat the twigs and needles of fir, juniper, and trees and shrubs during a harsh winter.
Wolves and cougars are among the natural enemies of elk, as well as bear and coyotes that look for calves and sick animals.

10. Fish - Bonneville Cutthroat
Replaced the Rainbow Trout in 1997
Native to Utah
Important to Indians and Mormon Pioneers
Patch of orange or red on throat
The cutthroat trout Salmo clarki, has 15 recognized subspecies, one of which is the Bonneville Cutthroat. All cutthroat trout have a "cut," a patch of orange or red on the throat and they differ from the rainbow trout because they have basibranchial (hyoid) teeth in their throat between the gill arches, they typically have longer heads and jaws than the rainbow and often times can be distinguished from the rainbow by their larger spots. The cutthroat is known to be more vulnerable to anglers because of a general lack of wariness and can be caught on a wide variety of bait.
Senate Bill 236, in the 1997 Legislature, adopted the Bonneville Cutthroat as the state fish after having the Rainbow Trout since The Bonneville Cutthroat is native to Utah and was important to the Indians and the Mormon pioneers as a source of food. There are some that speculate the pioneers were saved from starvation many times by catching and eating fish but claim it wasn't necessarily the trout that they ate but carp. Oh well!

11. Insect - Honey Bee Lobbying efforts of fifth graders - 1983
Deseret - Honey Bee
Honey is stored away for winter
vThe honey bee, Apis mellifera, became the official state insect in 1983 (Utah Code) through the lobbying efforts of a fifth grade class.The honey bee is significant in Utah history, as Utah was first called by its Mormon settlers, "The Provisional State of Deseret," a Book of Mormon word meaning honey bee.
We know that bees have been producing honey as they do today for at least 150 million years. Bees produce honey as food stores for the hive during the long months of winter when flowers aren't blooming and therefore little or no nectar is available to them. European honey bees, genus Apis Mellifera, produce such an abundance of honey, far more than the hive can eat, that humans can harvest the excess. For this reason, European honey bees can be found in beekeeper's hives around the world!
The Colony
Honey bees are social insects, with a marked division of labor between the various types of bees in the colony. A colony of honey bees includes a queen, drones and workers.
The Queen
The queen is the only sexually developed female in the hive. She is the largest bee in the colony.
A two-day-old larva is selected by the workers to be reared as the queen. She will emerge from her cell 11 days later to mate in flight with approximately 18 drone (male) bees. During this mating, she receives several million sperm cells, which last her entire life span of nearly two years.
The queen starts to lay eggs about 10 days after mating. A productive queen can lay 3,000 eggs in a single day.
The Drones
Drones are stout male bees that have no stingers. Drones do not collect food or pollen from flowers. Their sole purpose is to mate with the queen. If the colony is short on food, drones are often kicked out of the hive.
The Workers
Workers, the smallest bees in the colony, are sexually undeveloped females. A colony can have 50,000 to 60,000 workers.
The life span of a worker bee varies according to the time of year. Her life expectancy is approximately 28 to 35 days. Workers that are reared in September and October, however, can live through the winter.
Workers feed the queen and larvae, guard the hive entrance and help to keep the hive cool by fanning their wings. Worker bees also collect nectar to make honey.  In addition, honey bees produce wax comb. The comb is composed of hexagonal cells which have walls that are only 2/1000 inch thick, but support 25 times their own weight.
Honey bees' wings stroke 11,400 times per minute, thus making their distinctive buzz.

12. State Flower - Sego Lily
Crop-devouring crickets of 1840 to 1851
Pioneers ate the soft, bulbous root
Vote by state school children
White, lilac, or yellow flowers 6-8 inches high
Grow in the Great Basin
By an act of the Utah State Legislature, approved on March 18, 1911, the sego lily was declared to be the State floral emblem (Utah Code). Kate C. Snow, President of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers, in a letter dated April 17, 1930, says that "between 1840 and 1851" food became very scarce in Utah due to a crop-devouring plague of crickets, and that "the families were put on rations, and during this time they learned to dig for and to eat the soft, bulbous root of the sego lily. The memory of this use, quite as much as the natural beauty of the flower, caused it to be selected in after years by the Legislature as the floral emblem of the State."
The sego lily was made the official state flower after a census was taken of the state's school children as to their preference for a state flower.
The sego lily, Calochortus nuttalli, has white, lilac, or yellow flowers and grows six to eight inches high on open grass and sage rangelands in the Great Basin during the summer months.

13. Tree - Blue Spruce Wasatch and Uinta Mountains 6,000 to 11,000 feet
Silvery blue foliage
Withstands temperature extremes
Chosen as state tree in 1933
The blue spruce (Picea pungens Engelm) was chosen by the Utah State Legislature in 1933 to be the state tree. The tree is found in the Wasatch and Uinta mountains at elevations between 6,000 to 11,000 feet (Utah Code). It can be transplanted successfully and is widely used as an ornamental tree. Its foliage is generally silvery blue in color and has the ability to withstand temperature extremes.
The four-angled needles of the blue spruce are from 3/4 to 1 1/8 inches long and are dull blue green. This large tree has gray or brown bark that is furrowed into scaly ridges. Cones are from 2 1/2 to 4 inches long and are light brown with long, thin, irregularly toothed scales.

14. Fossil - Allosuarus Utah’s most common dinosaur
“Different Lizard” and “Strange Reptile”
Carnivorous
16.5 feet tall
The allosaurus was designated the State Fossil in 1988 (Utah Code). More allosaurus specimens have been found in two of Utah's quarries than any other dinosaur. Sixty individuals, from juveniles to adults, were found at one site in Utah.
There are different meanings of the word allosaurus, "Different Lizard" and "Strange Reptile," are two examples. Allosaurus was a carnosaur, one of the groups of theropod meat-eaters. This animal was large and probably too bulky to move at speed over any distance, however, the large sauropods and stegosaurs on which it fed were not fast-moving themselves. It measured 16.5 ft. in height and 39 ft. in length and its skull more than 3 ft. long; its jaws were lined with serrated, back-curved teeth and it weighed in at about 4 tons.

15. Citations