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State Symbols

The official state symbols represent the cultural heritage and natural treasures of each state or the entire United States

Michigan Symbols

Michigan Symbols

Bird, Fish, Flag, Flower, Fossil, Game Mammal, Gem, Historical Society, Motto, Nicknames, Reptile, Seal, Soil, Song, Stone, Tree, Unofficial Song, Wild Flower

Michigan State Soil

Kalkaska Sand

Adopted on December 4, 1990.

In 1990, Kalkaska Sand was chosen as the state soil. First identified as a soil type in 1927, Kalkaska sand ranges in color from black to yellowish brown. It is one of more than 500 soils found in the state. Unique to Michigan, Kalkaska sand covers nearly a million acres in 29 Upper and Lower Peninsula counties.

A selection process for picking the State Soil from over 400 other Soil Series was started in the 1970's. The Kalkaska Sand was selected in 1983 as Michigan's State Soil

The Kalkaska series is one of the earliest soil series to be recognized in Michigan. It was first described in 1927, in Kalkaska County, which is the source of the series name. Kalkaska soils occur in both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of Michigan and in 29 of the state's 83 counties. There are over 750,000 acres of these soils in Michigan. Public Act 302, the State Soil Bill, enacted on December 4, 1990, established the Kalkaska series as the Official State Soil. Kalkaska soils formed in sandy deposits left by the glaciers that once covered Michigan. These soils are used primarily for hardwood timber, namely sugar maple and yellow birch. Some areas are used for the production of Christmas trees or for specialty crops, such as potatoes and strawberries. The soils also are used for wildlife habitat and building site development.

State Symbols

State symbols represent things that are special to a particular state.

symbol \ˈsim-bəl\
noun

Etymology:
in sense 1, from Late Latin symbolum, from Late Greek symbolon, from Greek, token, sign; in other senses from Latin symbolum token, sign, symbol, from Greek symbolon, literally, token of identity verified by comparing its other half, from symballein to throw together, compare, from syn- + ballein to throw — more at devil
Date: 15th century

1: Something that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention, especially a material object used to represent something invisible.