North Dakota Nicknames
North Dakota has a handful of nicknames, the one on our license plates reading “The Peace Garden State.” The phrase was first placed on state plates by the North Dakota Motor Vehicle Department in 1956. In 1957, the North Dakota legislature adopted the phrase as the state’s formal nickname.
This moniker comes from the unique feature on the North Dakota/ Canada border: the International Peace Garden. Opened in 1932, the International Peace Garden was the brainchild of Ontario native Dr. Henry J. Moore. He had proposed the creation of the garden on the international border to celebrate the two countries’ long friendship and to allow citizens of both to share the space as one. After he pitched the idea to the National Association of Gardeners in 1929, they approved and, deciding that the site should be near the geographical center of North America, selected a section of the international border between North Dakota and Manitoba for the garden’s creation. Manitoba donated 1,451 acres to the IPG, and our state of North Dakota purchased and then donated 888 acres to the project. More than 50,000 people from both the US and Canada gathered at the location on July 14, 1932, to be part of the groundbreaking and dedication. After that, the Civilian Conservation Corp went to work grooming the grounds, developing the prairie landscape and forestland into a site that celebrated peace and camaraderie. Though it came to reality during a period
of great economic depression in the world and was still in its first years of existence when World War II commenced, the IPG stood as a beacon of peace, strength and friendship. The beautiful landscapes served as a reminder to every citizen of the world that friendship between countries wasn’t just possible—it was incredibly beautiful and could continue to grow and evolve.
Its place on the North Dakota/Canada border was chosen to commemorate the friendship between the two North American countries, but the IPG is home to buildings, symbols and other features that serve to include citizens throughout the world in the garden’s celebration of peace. For example, the IPG houses a floral clock that was donated by the Bulova Watch Company of Switzerland in the mid1960s. The 18-foot clock face is a duplicate of the original Bulova Floral Clock in Berne, Switzerland.
A number of memorials and other monuments dot the grounds of the IPG. Some of the most iconic are the 9/11 Memorial, the Carillon Bell Tower, and the Peace Tower. In 2010, Rotary International, North American Firefighters Union and Manitoba Infrastructure donated the 9/11 Memorial, which is made of sections of the destroyed Twin Towers. Each year, organizations hold memorial events at the site. Another unique memorial is the Carillon Bell Tower, donated by the Central United Church of Brandon, Manitoba. The unique bells (Est. 1932) make up one of only four sets in the world. Today, they chime to mark the time of day from the Veterans’ Memorial Bell Tower, built by the North Dakota Veterans’ Organization in 1976. The Peace Tower was built for the 50th-anniversary celebrations of the IPG in 1980. Its four pillar design symbolizes people coming together from the four corners of the world.
The IPG, giving North Dakota its formal nickname “The Peace Garden State,” claims to be the longest unguarded border in the world. It hosts thousands of visitors every year, who come to hike, bike, learn, celebrate and remember.
Other nicknames—the ones that aren’t on our license plates—include the following:
“The Flickertail State”
There is a great number of Richardson ground squirrels in North Dakota. These animals, a type of gopher, are often known as flickertails because they “flick” their tails while they run and as they enter their burrows. The Legislative Assembly defeated a bill proposed to adopt the Flickertail as the official emblem of the state in 1953. Though the symbol wasn’t officially adopted, the Flickertail is part of North Dakota’s state-official items in a different way. James D. Ployhar, at the behest of the North Dakota Band Directors Association, composed an instrumental piece (particularly a march) for official state functions. His piece “Spirit of the Land” became the official North
Dakota State March in 1975. Because its title was nearly the same as another march, the name was changed to “Flickertail March,” approved by the Legislative Assembly in 1989.
“The Rough Rider State”
This unofficial nickname came into popularity during the 1960s and 70s, when tourism advertising began calling North Dakota the “Rough Rider State” to try to encourage more people to visit. The Rough Riders were an army group that Theodore Roosevelt led during the SpanishAmerican War. Several cowboys who were part of Roosevelt’s military cavalry were native North Dakotans, and Roosevelt was part of the state’s development in a number of other ways. This led to the tourism campaign and then, both in 1971 and 1973, the proposal of bills in the Legislative Assembly seeking to change North Dakota’s nickname to “Rough Rider State.” Both were defeated. Still, Rough Rider is a common phrase in relation to North Dakota. For example, the Teddy Roosevelt Rough Rider Awards recognize state residents who have made a profound impact in the progress of the state.
Peace Garden State. Flickertail State. Rough Rider State...Each of these offers a very different focus on just a few of the many things that make North Dakota unique. Ours is a land of tranquility, natural beauty and folks who are as strong as they are compassionate, all of which create the one-ofa-kind state we’re lucky enough to call home.