to France (1801) and included in the Louisiana Purchase (1803). The region was successively part of Louisiana (1805), Missouri (1812), Michigan (1834) and Wisconsin (1836). It became a distinct territory (1838) and was admitted to the Union (Dec. 28, 1846) as a State. Burlington was

the capital of Wisconsin (1838) when Iowa was separated and the territorial seat of government was established, later to go to Iowa City and from there (1857) to Des Moines. The gold seekers and Mormons traveled the stage routes across the State and the first railroad came in 1853.

Kansas

Capital, Topeka-Sunflower State, also Jayhawk State-State Flower, Sunflower-Motto: Ad Astra per Aspera (To the Stars Through Difficulties)-Area, 82,276 sq. mi.; rank, 13th-Population, 1,801,028; rank 29th.

Kansas, a West North Central State, in almost the exact geographical center of the United States, is bounded on the north by Nebraska, on the east by Missouri, on the south by Oklahoma, and on the west by Colorado. It is varied in topography. About one-third of the eastern boundary is followed by the Missouri River; within the State flow the Kansas and Arkansas Rivers. Toward the west the prairies increase in elevation up to 4,000 feet above sea level. Much of the land is flat with some low hills in the western portion. The climate is variable with rather severe winters and hot summers. Included in the Louisiana Purchase it was a part of the Territory of Missouri and later (1821) became an extension of Indian Territory, Kansas was made a Territory (1854) and a State (1861).

Agriculture is extensive. The products include wheat, corn, potatoes, the hardier fruits, and flax. Kansas normally produces one fourth of all the wheat in the United States and ranks first among the flour milling states. The largest grain elevator in the country is in Kansas City and the world's largest broom corn market is in Wichita. It is one of the four leading cattle raising states. Dairy and poultry production are great.

Coal underlies more than 15,000 square miles. The State ranks high in oil and natural gas production. Other mineral products are lead, zinc, Portland cement. Large quantities of salt are found.

State supported are the University of Kansas, Lawrence; the Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, Manhattan, and three other schools. There are other large institutions for higher education, including Washburn College, Topeka; Wichita Municipal University and Southwestern College, Winfield. The nation's largest cavalry school is located in Fort Riley. The Haskell

Indian School, Lawrence, is the largest Indian school in the United States.

Archeologists have found remains of interesting forms of life that existed in Kansas in the distant past. Three and four-toed horses no larger than a fox terrier and ancient birds with teeth once made that part of the country their habitat; and skeletons of flying reptiles with a wing-spread of 25 ft. have been found in the chalk beds of western Kansas. Swimming reptiles 50 feet long cavorted in the seas that once covered the area, which has been inundated many times. Ferns 100 feet high once grew in Kansas.

The State was traversed by many of the great pioneer trails, including the Oregon Trail and the Santa Fe Trail. Some of the towns in Kansas were settled by pioneers who arrived in boats, notaby Manhattan. The steamer Hartford left Cincinnati (1854) with 80 persons and ready-cut houses; steamed down the Ohio, up the Mississippi and Missouri and Kansas rivers; ran aground at Lecompton and lay on the bar three days until rain raised the river. The boat ran ashore again just above the mouth of the Blue river and those aboard decided to settle there and put up their homes.

Francisco Vasquez de Coronado headed a Spanish exploring party that entered Kansas (1541) seeking gold in the fabled cities of Cibola. When Coronado returned to Mexico he left behind Father Juan de Padilla, who founded a mission among the Indians and became the first Christian martyr to die on United States soil. The Quiviran Indians killed him because he was about to leave them to establish another mission among a rival tribe.

Spanish explorations in Kansas gave way (1682) to the French when LaSalle laid claim to all the land drained by the Mississippi and its tributaries. France ceded the territory to Spain (1763); regained it (1800); and sold it to the United States (1803).

Kentucky

minous coal, petroleum, natural gas, fluorspar, natural cement. Bituminous coal is the most important output, Kentucky ranking high among the coal-producing states. Petroleum and gas rank second in importance.

Capital, Frankfort-Blue Grass State-State Flower, Goldenrod-Motto: United We Stand, Divided We Fall-Area, 40,395 sq. mi.; rank, 36th-Population, 2,845,267; rank, 16th. The region now constituting Kentucky was orig- The principal resources of Kentucky are bituinally a part of Fincastle County, Virginia. The first white men known to have discovered this territory were Marquette and Joliet (1673). Daniel Boone and his companions (shortly after 1760) explored the region. The first settlement was at Harrodsburg (1774). Boonesborough was founded (1775). For a long time Indian wars harassed the settlement. A code of laws was formed (1775) by the settlers, but it was not recognized by Virginia. A year later, the district was organized as Kentucky County. The three counties which had been formed since 1776 in Kentucky County were united (1783) into Kentucky District. Virginia passed (1786) the first of four enabling acts giving conditional consent to the organization of Kentucky as a separate State. Kentucky with its present boundaries was admitted (1792) to the Union.

The surface of Kentucky rises gradually from an altitude of about 300 feet along the Misssissippi River to the western edge of the Appalachian Mountain province, in which parallel ridges of folded mountains, the Cumberland and the Pine, have crests in excess of 2,000 feet. The region west of the Tennessee is low, and broken only by creek and river valleys. The central portion is rolling to undulating, being part of the westward slope of the Allegheny Mountain Region. The entire eastern part is much dissected. In the southeast is a mountainous region with small limestone valleys.

Kentucky possesses a somewhat milder and more even temperature than that of the neighboring States. The mean annual temperature, 50 degrees on the mountains in the southeastern part, and 60 degrees west of the Tennessee, is about 55 degrees for the entire State.

The soil of Kentucky is well adapted to agriculture. The Blue Grass region is composed of heavy loams, clay loams and stony loams, derived from the almost pure Silurian limestone.

More than half of the inhabitants of Kentucky are engaged in agriculture. Corn is the largest and most valuable crop with wheat and oats next. The wheat is grown both in the Blue Grass region and farther west. In the eastern part of the State, where crops are generally light, Indian corn, oats, and potatoes are the principal products, but tobacco, flax and cotton are also raised. The culture of tobacco, which is the second most valuable crop in the State, was begun (about 1780) in the northern part. Kentucky is excelled by North Carolina only, in this product. The two most important tobaccogrowing districts are the Black Patch, in the extreme southwest corner of the State, where a black, heavy leaf is produced and sold largely to Central Europe, Spain and Italy; and the Blue Grass region, with the hill country south and east. where the product, the red and white Burley, is a fine-fibered light leaf peculiarly absorbent of licorice and other adulterants used in the manufacture of chewing tobacco. Kentucky is the principal hemp-growing state in the Union. Fruits of fine quality are produced.

The livestock industry is an important branch of agriculture in Kentucky, and large numbers of horses, sheep, cattle, and swine are raised. Kentucky has long been noted for its fine horses.

There are extensive forests of oak, maple, beech, walnut, ash, pine, and cedar. Oak and yellow poplar are the principal hardwoods cut for commercial purposes, and yellow pine the principal softwood.

The value of the manufactured products of Kentucky has been steadily increasing. Among the great industries are the flour mills and gristmills, the tobacco manufactures, and the manu

to the southwest and east, the high tableland
of the plantation stretches beyond sight. There
were the slave cabins on whose floors the "young
folks roll, all merry, all happy and bright!”
The Abraham Lincoln National Park, compris-
ing 110 acres, lies three miles south of Hodgenville,
Ky. The Lincoln Farm Association bought the
site (1906) and began the erection of a granite
building in which to place a log cabin said to be
that in which Lincoln was born.

facture of men's clothing. The lumber industry a relative of Foster. In the rear of Federal Hill, includes the logging plants, sawmills, and the various wood-working establishments, especially those making railroad ties, spokes, handles, barrel staves, and headings. Cotton goods are also important. Kentucky was one of the first states to engage in tobacco manufacturing on a factory basis. The factories are chiefly employed in making chewing and smoking tobacco and snuff. Other manufactures of importance are foundry and machine-shop products, iron and steel, slaughtering and meat-packing and railway shops, and printing and publishing.

The cabin is 12 feet wide and 17 feet long, 11 feet from the floor to the eaves, and 14 feet from the floor to the highest point of the roof. The memorial building, for which Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone (1909) on the centennial of Lincoln's birth, is of Connecticut granite lined with Tennessee marble. Its inside dimensions are 44 feet in width. 34 feet in depth, and 45 feet in height. The Association (1916) transferred title to the farm and the memorial to the United States, to be administered by the War Departthe jurisdiction of the National Park Service. At this place, Sinking Spring Farm, near the Big South Fork of Nolin Creek in what is now Larue County, Abraham Lincoln was born (Feb. 12, 1809) to Thomas and Nancy Hanks Lincoin. When Abraham was about four years old the family moved to another farm, and, a few years later to Indiana, and thence to Illinois, following the frontier with its promise of land. freedom, and opportunity.

Educational institutions include the University of Kentucky, Lexington; Louisville University, Louisville; Berea College, Berea; Centre College, Danville; and Transylvania College, Lexington. Kentucky contains many natural curiosities of unusual interest. Mammoth Cave has been the wonder and admiration of those who have traversed its subterranean passages. In extent and beauty it is almost equaled by the Colossal Cave. Both are situated in Edmonson County. Naturalment. The property was transferred (1933) to Bridge, in Wolfe County, connects two portions of a chain of mountains, spanning a chasm 60 ft. wide and 40 ft. high. Sinking Creek, in Breckinridge County, suddenly disappears and traverses an underground course for several miles and reappears as a great spring flowing from under a hill. In Ice Cave, Caldwell County, ice remains during the entire year. There are several Indian mounds in Anderson County. At Covington is the smallest church in the world, Monte Casino R. C. Church, with seating accommodations for only three worshippers.

Cumberland Waterfalls, 18 miles southwest of Corbin, is famous as the only waterfalls in the Western Hemisphere where a moon-bow may be seen. The only other place in the world where a similar phenomenon may be observed is in South Africa. At Cumberland Waterfalls the Cumberland River takes a leap of 68 ft. over a precipitous rock ledge.

The house in which Stephen C. Foster wrote "My Old Kentucky Home' and the estate surrounding it known as Federal Hill, situated one mile east of Bardstown, have been preserved as a state park. It was originally the home of Judge John Rowan, U. S. Senator from Kentucky,

It is an interesting coincidence that both opposing Presidents of the Civil War period were born in the same state and in the same section. An obelisk rises 351 ft. at Fairview in Todd county to mark the place where Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States, was born (1808).

Like Lincoln, Davis left Kentucky in his youth but he returned to Kentucky for four years of schooling before he entered West Point. When Jefferson Davis was an infant the family moved to Mississippi and became cotton_planters. park of 20 acres surrounds the Davis obelisk, which is second in height to the Washington Monument. The custodian's house is said to be a replica of the house in which Jefferson was born.

Louisiana

with 280 men who perished with him.

A

Capital, Baton Rouge-Pelican State, also Creole State-State Flower, Magnolia-Motto: Union, Justice,
Confidence-Area, 48,523 sq. mi.; rank, 30th-Population, 2,363,800; rank, 21st.
Louisiana, situated in the South Central region.
on the Gulf of Mexico, at the mouth of the
Mississippi River, is bounded on the north by
Arkansas and Mississippi, on the east by Mississippi
State and the Gulf, on the south by the Gulf, and
on the west by Texas.

There are no hills of importance, and much of the land is lower than the immediate banks of the Mississippi. A powerful system of levees and spillways obviates the danger of annual floods.

The western part, immediately next to Texas, shades off toward the drier character of climate and soils, the climate of Louisiana for the greater part being warm in summer, with little of winter cold. It is semi-tropical.

The Sabine River bounds the State on the west. and with the Red River and the Mississippi, Louisiana has 4,794 miles of navigable waterways, much of them being on the large bayous in the south.

There are more than 6,000 square miles water covered, suitable for the propagation of oysters: the shrimp catch is valuable, and commercial fishing an important industry, Trappers market muskrat, opossum, raccoon, mink and other furs in great quantities. In the heavily wooded sections there are occasionally found cougar, or panther; lynx or wildcat; gray fox; timber wolf and black bear.

Louisiana leads in the production of sugar cane, sugar cane syrup and rice. Other important crops are corn, sweet potatoes and pecans. Cotton is grown extensively. The State ranks high in lumber production.

There are rich sulphur mines; also four of the largest salt mines in the world. The output of petroleum and natural gas is large.

Discovered (1528) by the Spanish explorer Narvaex, the history of Louisiana divides into two major periods the colonial, extending from the first attempts at colonization (about 1712, to the cession in 1803) and the American from the latter date to the present time. The colonial period comprises the French domination, down to 1769; the Spanish domination, (1769-1803); and a brief period of French rule in the latter year.

La Salle claimed the territory in the name of France (1682) and attempted colonization (1687)

The actual room in which final terms of the transfer of Louisiana to the United States were made still exists. It is called the "Sala Capitular" and is the main, or largest, chamber in the Cabildo. in New Orleans. The Cabildo, former seat of government and later of justice, now is owned by the State. and in it repose archives and historical treasures of the State. The Cabildo, the Presbytere, and the Lower Pontalba building, also owned by the State, are units of the State Museum.

Jean Baptiste Lemoine Bienville, some twenty years after his brother, Iberville, a French naval officer, discovered the Mississippi river (March 2, 1699), founded New Orleans, the first settlement in Louisiana proper, although some time previously, with the aid of Le Blonde de la Tour, he settled a number of Canadians on the site. Under de la Tour's supervision the city of New Orleans took shape. A church and houses were built, levees thrown up and ditches made, and a great canal dug in the rear for drainage. Bienville arrived and took his residence there (Aug. 1722). The Louisiana colony received new inhabitants and new strength from John Law's settlers. There were Indian wars. Slaves were introduced and the Black Code formulated.

A hospital was established (1799). A humble French sailor, Jean Louis, left his savings to establish a center of medical attention for the poor. This hospital still exists in New Orleans. It is Charity Hospital, one of the largest institutions of its kind in the world. It is owned and administered by the State.

The world famous and colorful New Orleans Mardi Gras, which attracts thousands of tourists, occurs annually on the day preceding Ash Wednesday.

Unzaga was governor of Louisiana during the early years of the American Revolution against England and through this Spanish colony passed much contraband to the American colonies. Unzaga was succeeded by Galvez, during whose administration Spain declared war upon England, siding with the American colonies and France. Galvez distinguished himself by capturing Baton Rouge from the British. A major fire started (Good Friday, 1788) in New Orleans, destroying

Maine

Capital, Augusta-Pine Tree State-State Flower, White Pine Cone and Tassel-Motto: Dirigo (I Direct)-Area, 33,215 sq. mi.; rank, 38th-Population, 847,226; rank, 35th. Maine, in New England, northeasternmost State. ash, and basswood or linden. Maine leads the is bounded on the north by Quebec, Canada, on the nation in the production of pulp and paper. Along east by New Brunswick, Canada, and the Bay of the rivers are many water power motived textile, Fundy, on the south by the Atlantic, and on the tanning, oilcloth, boots and shoes, canning, flour and machinery works. west by New Hampshire and Quebec.

Maryland

Capital, Annapolis-Cockade State, also Old Line State-State Flower, Blackeyed Susan-Motto: Fatti Maschii Parole Femine (Manly Deeds and Womanly Words)-Area, 10,577 sq. mi.; rank, 41st-Population, 1,821,244; rank, 28th.

Algerian corsairs and French interference with American commerce led Congress to authorize (1790s) the construction of six frigates and the purchase of merchant vessels suitable for conversion into men-of-war. When the Government began a general program of fortification for the defense of the coast (1794) the battery at Whetstone was offered by the city of Baltimore to the Federal Government "as a fort, or an arsenal for public defense." Eight warships were built or outfitted in Baltimore, including the frigate Constellation (launched in 1797). Realizing the importance of proper protection for this important work, Baltimoreans urged the erection of a stronger fort. When told that the Federal Government could not expend more than $20,000 for this purpose, they raised funds to complete the present star fort, with walls 35 ft thick. It was named for Col. James McHenry, of Baltimore, who had been an aide to General Washington during the Revolution and was Secretary of War (1796-1800). It was during the British attack on Baltimore that Francis Scott Key, detained on a vessel seized by the English, watched the conflict and at dawn wrote the Star Spangled Banner.

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, has won

international fame, and to its hospital go patients from/all parts of the world to consult its specialists. Goucher College for Women, Baltimore: St. John's, in Annapolis, and the University of Maryland, College Park and Baltimore, rank high.

In Annapolis, a city with a notable history which has preserved its colonial charm, is the United States Naval Academy.

Along artistic lines there is high development, principal centers being Peabody Institute for Education in Music, the Maryland Institute School of Art and Design, and Walter's Art Gallery. There are many points of historic and scenic interest in Maryland. The house is still standing in which President Madison and his family took refuge in Brookeville when the British burned the city of Washington (1814). Crystal Grottoes at Boonesboro are one of the natural wonders of the United States and are so named because the stalactites which form a beautiful drapery from the roofs of the caves have a crystal clearness. Antietam battlefield-near Hagerstown-scene of a bloody battle of the Civil War, is visited annually by thousands of tourists. Maryland retains the whipping post for punishment of certain crimes.

Massachusetts

Capital, Boston-Bay State, also Old Colony State-State Flower, Mayflower-Motto: Ense Petit Placidam Sub Libertate Quietem (With the Sword She Seeks Quiet, Peace Under Liberty)-Area, 8,257 sq. mi.; rank, 44th-Population, 4,316,721; rank, 8th.

Massachusetts, one of the Thirteen Original States, lies in New England, bounded on the north by Vermont and New Hampshire, on the east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Rhode Island, Connecticut and the Atlantic, and on the west by

New York.

The highest elevations, about 3,500 ft. maximum, are in the west, in the Berkshires, a summer area. Massachusetts was once wooded in all portions, but retains only a fraction of the original forest wealth; and has become a leading industrial State with huge developed and potential water power.

The leading industry is the manufacture of cotton goods, and woolens and worsteds, and of great importance are the boot and shoe factories and tanneries, the foundries and machine shops, the electric equipment works, the paper mills and the printing and publishing houses.

Harvard University (founded 1636) has been
regarded as
generally
the oldest college in
America.
Other noted institutions of higher learning are:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Massachu-
setts State, Amherst. Tufts, Williams. Clark, Boston
University, Holy Cross, Boston College and North-
eastern University. Institutions for women include
Wellesley, Smith, Radcliffe (an offshoot of Har-
vard). Mount Holyoke, Wheaton and Simmons
colleges.

As with all New England, the State is a great summer resort, the North Shore above Boston being the resort of vacationists and many artists, and the long hooklike Cape Cod and adjacent islands attract thousands. At Provincetown, at the tip of the Cape, the Mayflower made its first landing (1620) sailing thence to Plymouth. New Bedford was the leading whaling port in the world when the whal

The State has abundant rail and coastwise ship-ing industry was at its height. It is now one of the ping facilities.

In value, hay is the leading crop, tobacco and potatoes next, others being wheat, corn, oats, rye, buckwheat, apples, maple sugar, and small fruits, cranberries abounding in the lands along the coast. Massachusetts is the leading fisheries State of New England and Boston is the greatest fishing port in the country.

Mineral products consist chiefly of quarry outputs, including granite for paving blocks. Lee marble the handsome white Dolomite-is famous. Some of it is in the Capitol in Washington, in the Washington Monument; and in Grant's Tomb. Harvard College in Cambridge, the nucleus of

largest yachting and fishing centers on the coast. Nantucket was also a leading whaling port. Regular boat services at New Bedford and Woods Hole are maintained with Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. The early history of Massachusetts is so much a history of America itself that the state is replete with historical landmarks of national interest. Plymouth Rock and the town of Plymouth still stand and both attract thousands of sightseeing tourists. Boston boasts of many points of historic importance-Faneuil Hall, the Cradle of Liberty, Bunker Hill Monument, Paul Revere's Home and many other landmarks associated with the Revolutionary War.

Michigan

Capital, Lansing-Wolverine State-State Flower, Amoenam Circumspice (If Thou Seekest a Beautiful rank, 22nd-Population, Michigan, lying along the Canadian border, is divided by Lake Michigan into two parts; the northern peninsula has, on the north, Lake Superior, and on the south, Wisconsin; the southern peninsula has Lake Michigan on the west, Lake Huron, Ontario, Canada, and Lake Erie on the east, and Indiana and Ohio on the south. The interests of the northern peninsula are mostly copper, iron and timber. In the southern there are also minerals and timber, but manufacturing has grown to chief importance. Michigan ranks first in automobile production.

The State is mostly rolling clay loam, with large

areas of cut-over timberlands, mostly coniferous,

with rugged topography in the north. The State, the Federal Government and large private enterprises are now making great efforts for the reforestation of the land..

No State has greater water boundary lines proportioned to area; transport naturally is great by that means. Rail facilities are abundant, lines having sought the heavy tonnage of the recently developed industries. The Sault Ste. Marie Ship Canal. between Lakes Huron and Superior, accommodates more tonnage than the Suez Canal.

Apple Blossom-Motto: Si Quaeris Peninsulam Peninsula, Behold It Here)-Area, 58,216 sq. mi.; 5,256,106; rank, 7th.

There are more than 6,000 small lakes, where fishing and summer sports attract many. The State maintains 16 fish hatcheries.

Educationally, Michigan has its State University in Ann Arbor, which was first to admit women matriculates; Michigan State College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences in East Lansing, which is the oldest agricultural college in the country: Michigan College of Mining and Technology in Houghton; and many normal schools.

An act of Congress (approved March 3, 1931) provided for the establishment of a national park of Isle Royale in Lake Superior about 40 miles south of Port Arthur. It is about 45 miles long and five

miles wide, and contains 133,405 acres, including

some 40 odd adjacent islands.

Beautifully situated along many waterways, the State bids strongly for metropolitan repute and constantly attracts newcomers from home and abroad. In summer time, the numerous islands, lakes and rivers are popular resorts.

The principal minerals are coal. natural gas, cement, iron ore, gypsum, copper, silver, petroleum. The State leads in production of salt.

The chief crops are oats, corn, wheat, clover seed, hay, potatoes, sugar beets, cherries, apples, peaches, pears, grapes, beans.

Michigan (until 1763) was a part of New France. French occupation has left its mark on the State in the presence of French geographical names. French population, French traditions and French land tenure in some sections.

The oldest settlements (Sault Ste. Marie, Mackinac, and Detroit) are of French origin.

The fur trade flourished during both periods, Michilimackinac being a famous center of the trade and Sault Ste. Marie an important outfitting point for the northwest.

Michigan was comprised within the territory covered by the famous Ordinance of 1787, in accordance with whose provision it became a territory (1805) and a State (1835).

French population and customs predominated until the opening of the Erie Canal (1825) introduced the dominant New England and New York stock. The population increased from about 30,000 (1830) to 212,000 (1840).

Detroit was connected by rail with Chicago (1852) and with New York (1854).

Copper and iron mining in the Upper Peninsula began (1845). The first railroad to the iron mines (Marquette and Negaunee) was opened (1857) and direct rail connection with the Lower Peninsula via the Straits of Mackinac was established (1881). The mining industry was promoted by the construction of the canal at Sault Ste. Marie (1855).

Minnesota

early 20th century. First the southeast and middle sections of the State were settled, then the south and west, and, finally, the northeast, which still remains sparsely populated. The building of railroads in the State began (1862) with ten miles completed between St. Paul and St. Anthony (later Minneapolis). The first road to connect Minnesota with the Pacific coast, was the Northern Pacific, (1883).

During the years following the Civil War the lumber resources of the State were intensively exploited. Minneapolis and Duluth owed their rapid growth during the seventies and eighties in part to the milling and shipping of lumber. The production of lumber reached its peak (1905) with the cutting of two billion feet.

Capital, St. Paul-Gopher State-State Flower, Pink and White Moccasin Flower-Motto: Etoile du Nord (The Star of the North)-Area, 84,068 sq. mi.; rank, 11th-Population, 2,792,300; rank, 18th. Minnesota includes the geographic center of North America. The State is bounded on the south by Iowa, on the west by South and North Dakota, on the north by Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario, and on the east by Wisconsin and Lake Superior. The neadwaters of three great river systems are found in its limits, the Mississippi, Red River of the North, and the St. Lawrence. Few states are so well watered. Its navigable rivers are the Mississippi, the Minnesota, the St. Croix. the Rainy, the Red River of the North and the Red Lake River, all of which, at their sources, have valuable water powers. There are numerous smaller streams. About two-thirds of the state is prairie but in the northern portion there are extensive pine forests. Minnesota, west of the Mississippi River, was part of the Louisiana Purchase. The shore of Lake Superior is the lowest land in the State (602 feet above sea level). The Mississippi River, having its chief source in Lake Itasca (1,462 feet elevation), leaves the state at 620 feet above sea level. The Red River of the North, beginning near Itasca, at 1462 ft. elevation, leaves the state at an elevation of 750 ft. The highest elevation in the Misquah hills, is Cook county, (1,630 feet above Lake Superior; 2,230 feet above the sea).

Minnesota contains more than 11,000 lakes. The state and national forests, as well as the many state parks, make it an ideal recreational area and the summer vacation mecca for thousands of tourists. Itasca State Park (32,000 acres) is of particular historic and geographic interest, since it contains the source of the Mississippi River discovered by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft (1832). There are more than 300 lakes within its boundary where good fishing abounds. It contains virgin stands of white and Norway pine and an abundance of wild life native to the region. The only herd of caribou in the United States is found in northern Minnesota.

French explorers found their way into the territory that became Minnesota shortly after the middle of the seventeenth century and established forts and trading posts for carrying on an extensive fur trade with the Indians. Control of this trade later passed into the hands of the British, who dominated the region until after the War of 1812. American occupation was secured by the establishment of Fort Snelling (1819) and after several treaties and cessions of land by the Indians eastern and southern sections were open to settlement. Territorial government was organized (1849) with St. Paul as a capital.

The settlement of Minnesota continued until the

The State has become one of the world's great wheat-producting centers, and even today the largest flour mills in the world are in Minneapolis. But wheat gradually gave way (1880) to corn as the staple produce. Dairying did not become an important industry until the early eighties, but its development since then has been rapid, especially during the last two decades and the State now produces more butter than any other. There has been a remarkable growth of marketing through farmers' co-operative creameries. Meat-packing has become an important industry.

Minnesota is among the first States in production of barley, rye and flax seed. Other crops besides wheat and corn are, oats, hay, potatoes.

Rich beds of iron ore are in the northeastern section of the State. The first shipment (1884) of ore was made from the Vermilion Range. Duluth developed into an important lake port for the shipment of ore (1890) from the Mesabi Range, and the Cuyuna Range. Minnesota is a national center for fron mining and produces 60% of all iron ore in the United States. Manganese is another mineral produced in large quantities.

The University of Minnesota in Minneapolis is the principal institution of higher education, others being Hamline University, St. Paul; St. John's R. Č. University, Collegeville; Carleton and St. Olaf College, Northfield; Gustavus Adolphus, St. Peter, and St. Catherine's College for women. St. Paul.

Pipestone National Monument in the extreme southwestern corner of the State, is a region still rich with the lore of Indian days, with many interesting relics of their existence. Here is the Great Stone Face, a perfect Indian head profile. 30 ft. high, which nature has carved. Minnehaha Falls, 53 ft. high, immortalized by Longfellow in "The Song of Hiawatha" are a part of Minnehaha State Park, Minneapolis.

Mississippi

Capital, Jackson-Magnolia State, also Bayou State-State Flower, Magnolia-Motto: Virtute et Armis (By Valor and Arms)-Area, 47,716 sq. mi.; rank, 31st-Population, 2,183,276; rank, 23rd.

Mississippi, one of the States of the East South Central group, is bounded on the north by Tennessee, on the east by Alabama, on the south by Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico, and on the west by Louisiana and Arkansas; the Mississippi River is the western boundary line. The State is hilly but not rugged, and in general slopes downward to the Mississippi and the Gulf shore. The climate and production are sub-tropical.

Agriculture is the chief interest. Cotton is the chief crop, Mississippi ranking high in totcon production. Other crops are pecans, sweet potatoes. corn, rice, wheat, oats, sugar cane, peanuts and every character of fruit grown in its zone.

Mineral deposits in Mississippi include hydrated limestone, coal, gypsum and rich clay.

The broad level acres of the Yazoo-Mississippi

Delta are the world's premier cotton country. Planted in April, the cotton is cultivated through May and June and "laid by" in August. Picking begins in September, and in bumper crop years, as in 1937, continues into January. At Scott is the world's largest cotton plantation, 35,000 acres in one unit.

Following the harvests come the town and county fairs. The Delta Staple Cotton Festival in Clarksdale is patterned after by exhibits and street shows in nearly every county. The money from crop sales bulges the pockets of the farmers, white and black. A month of carnival reaches a climax in the huge Mississippi Free State Fair in Jackson in October.

Transport is supplied by the rail lines and by the Mississippi River, on which traffic, lessening in the recent era of rapid rail development, is growing again to great relative importance.