Arizona Oddities

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Your Guides
  • Departments
    • Art
    • Dose of History
    • Culture
    • Natural Surroundings
    • Odd Observations
    • Weather Talk
    • Food & Dining
    • Small Town Scene
    • Recreation
    • Only in Arizona
  • Get the Books
  • Contact Us

logo

Arizona Oddities

  • Home
  • Your Guides
  • Departments
    • Art
    • Dose of History
    • Culture
    • Natural Surroundings
    • Odd Observations
    • Weather Talk
    • Food & Dining
    • Small Town Scene
    • Recreation
    • Only in Arizona
  • Get the Books
  • Contact Us
Arizona Oddities NewsOdd Observations
Home›Arizona Oddities News›Think Arizona is the Grand Canyon State? Think Again.

Think Arizona is the Grand Canyon State? Think Again.

By Andrea Aker
August 21, 2009
4828
5

It’s pretty safe to say that a large amount of residents consider Arizona the “Grand Canyon State.”

State nicknames like this are commonplace around the nation, and many of us thought the massive hole that juts through the northern part of our state supposedly gave us our moniker. Yet it turns out, this isn’t our official nickname, and a crafty little girl from California brought it to light.

Grand Canyon

Colorado River jutting through the Grand Canyon. Photo Credit: iStock

Earlier this year, a fifth-grade student from the Golden State, Victoria Smith, was in the midst of an American history report on the State of Arizona when she couldn’t find our “official” nickname. To solve the mystery, she contacted Arizona Oddities’ own Marshall Trimble, the state’s official historian.

“I had several nicknames in my head including, Baby State (until 1958), Valentine State, Sand Hill State (go figure), Copper State, Sunset State, Apache State and Grand Canyon State,” he said. “I contacted the Secretary of State’s office and state library archives and came up empty on an official nickname. Finally, we checked the statutes, and there was no official nickname. I promised the little girl I would go to work on ‘Grand Canyon State.’”

And that was it. Marshall was on it. With the help of State Rep. Sam Crump, he introduced a bill this past year to make Arizona the “Grand Canyon State.” It passed the House by a vote of 53 to 2. It was sent to the Senate, but Senate President Robert Burns was holding up all bills until the budget passed.

Then, just before the session ended, legislators rushed a load of bills through (including the selling of fireworks and carrying a concealed weapon into bars), but ignored the Official State Nickname Bill.

And that was it. The bill died. Marshall had to break the news to little Victoria, who was going to receive an invite to the bill signing.

However, it’s apparently not over for good. Marshall says Rep. Crump plans to re-introduce the bill in January 2010. Look forward to Arizona, the “Grand Canyon State”… coming soon.

(Visited 456 times, 1 visits today)

Related Posts:

  1. Grand Canyon Steam Engines Powered by Cooking Oil
  2. A Scary Glimplse Down the Skywalk at the Grand Canyon
  3. Captain John Hance Impresses Early Grand Canyon Tourists with Tall Tales
  4. Get Away from It All at Grand Canyon Caverns Underground Motel Suite
  5. Get Up Close and Personal with Deer at the Grand Canyon Deer Farm Near Williams
Tagsgrand canyonplace namespolitics

5 comments

  1. Marshall Trimble 22 August, 2009 at 10:21 Reply

    I sure hope all you Arizonans will get out there next January and contact your legislator. We can make this happen.
    Victoria Smith and I thank you in advance for your support.
    Marshall

  2. Patty Smith 23 August, 2009 at 15:15 Reply

    And Victoria’s mom thanks you, too! She’s an Arizona daughter (her dad was born in AZ) and all too happy to have a part in creating Arizona history!

    Patty Smith
    San Luis Obispo CA

  3. Mona Busick 23 August, 2009 at 18:07 Reply

    I admire the tenacity of a 5th grader to pursue any school topic. To research this topic to this degree show a great deal of inactive.

  4. Sandra s 14 November, 2012 at 23:38 Reply

    So, now I am reading this article in November of 2012 and I would like an update. Is Arizona’s official nickname ‘The Grand Canyon State’?

  5. John R Kwiatkowski 24 August, 2018 at 13:09 Reply

    I’d be interested in knowing if anything further has developed on this. I mean, our great state can’t go through “life” without an official nickname! 🙂

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Arizona Oddities Archive

Most Popular Posts

  • How to Keep Scorpions Away from Your Home
  • How to Keep Javelinas Away from Your Yard
  • What’s With All the Backyard Concrete-Block Fences…
  • Did You Know it’s Against the Law to Grow…
  • Four Deserts, One State

This Week Past Years

2018

  • The Anthem Hitchhiker Waits for a Ride to Nowhere

2017

  • Biosphere 2 Brings a Rainforest to the Arizona Desert

2016

  • Yuma's Bridge to Nowhere

2013

  • Winslow Chamber of Commerce Housed in Old Arizona Trading Post
  • Sculpture Garden at Yavapai College Features a Fancy, 5-Foot Frog

2012

  • What is Orange Stringy Substance Covering Desert Plants?
  • Arizona History Trivia 4: Can You Pass?

2011

  • What Causes "Pool of Water" Reflections on the Road?

2010

  • The Case of The Vanishing Train Robbers
  • Recent

  • Popular

  • Comments

  • Find a Famous Writer and Explorer's Mountain Retreat in Greer

    Find a Famous Writer and Explorer’s Historic Mountain Retreat in Greer

    By Taylor Haynes
    July 31, 2020
  • thousands of Mexican free tail bats make Phoenix tunnel their summer home

    Thousands of Mexican Free-Tail Bats Make Phoenix Tunnel Their Summer Home

    By Taylor Haynes
    July 17, 2020
  • How to Keep Scorpions Away from Your Home

    By Andrea Aker
    January 3, 2011
  • Javelina

    How to Keep Javelinas Away from Your Yard

    By Andrea Aker
    November 23, 2011
  • Phil Motta
    on
    August 27, 2021

    Why Does Downtown Phoenix Seem to Have Two Downtowns?

    I know this post ...
  • Carol
    on
    October 17, 2020

    The Tucson Artifacts are the Southwest’s Greatest Hoax

    lol ... these "clues" ...

Follow us

© Copyright 2009 – 2023 Aker Ink, LLC :: Arizona Oddities is published by Aker Ink.