Illustration by Marisa Morea
In May, the Missouri General Assembly designated the jumping jack as the state’s official exercise (though five lethargic senators voted against the bill). Elementary students had lobbied for the measure, inspired by the life of Gen. John J. Pershing, a Missouri-born World War I commander who’s credited with inventing the jumping jack. It joins more than two dozen other state symbols (sos.mo.gov/symbols), some intuitive, some unexpected, and some bizarre.
Tree Nut: The Eastern Black Walnut
Fact: The meat is used in ice cream and candy, while the shell is a filler for dynamite.
American Folk Dance: Square Dance
Fact: The world record for the largest square dance was set on the other side of the river, by middle-schoolers in Yorkville, Ill.
Dinosaur: Hadrosaur
Fact: This duck-billed creature had more than a thousand teeth. Never fear: It was an herbivore.
Fish: Channel Catfish
Fact: This whiskered bottom-dweller would probably lose a fight to the state’s official aquatic animal, the paddlefish.
Animal: Missouri Mule
Fact: Missouri was historically the nation’s leading producer of mules, bred from a mare (a lady horse) and a jack (a gentleman donkey).
Reptile: Three-Toed Box Turtle
Fact: Males have red eyes. Females have brown eyes. Both have three toes.
Musical Instrument: Fiddle
Fact: As the secretary of state’s website puts it, “For generations, the local fiddle player was the sole source of entertainment in many communities.”
Mineral: Galena
Fact: Missouri’s rich supply of galena (lead ore) powered the state’s economy for decades.
Dessert: Ice-Cream Cone
Fact: As the story goes, the best frozen treat in the universe was invented right here in St. Louis, at the 1904 World’s Fair.
