Dun dun dun... US state takeover!!!

In what is comparable to stamp collecting, and just as nerdy, I'm very interested geographically in where I've been lucky enough to sell my jewellery to!  In past times I've looked through all the US states, marking them off and trying to complete the set.  Last year I played this game, and found 5 states that Coryographies hasn't sold to.

Well, I can tell you that I'm closer to completing the set by 4! That's right, I'm now only missing Hawaii, and then at least one person in each of the US states will be sporting some fashionable Coryographies jewellery.  That's so cool!!

So... come on, Hawaii. I know you guys like to read too!!

Wyoming! 3 states to go until USA domination!

Amazing!  I was so happy to learn last month that I had a Coryographies order to South Dakota, since that ticks off my 46th state I've sold to.  That left Hawaii, West Virginia, Montana and Wyoming.

But look!  A lovely order has come in from Wyoming, marking my 47th state towards my treating the US like a collectors sticker book.  And it has made me very happy indeed!

Again, like many states, I'm not too knowledgable about this one.  So I've looked up a few facts and read a bit to figure out about the lovely person's state my bookshelf necklace will be sent to.

First thing I noticed - Wyoming is a square.  And it has a buffalo on its flag.  That's cool, I like buffalo.

The capital and largest city is Cheyenne, a name I've heard drawled before in Westerns.  It's also the least populated state.  Wyoming is home to Yellowstone National Park.  I had a video box set as a child of documentaries about the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Yellowstone National Park.  Nice.

Also, another point to make me nostalgic, the Oregon Trail goes through the state.  All North American children of the 90's know the perils of dysentery and drowning when fording a river because of the much loved computer game of the same name.

Wyoming was the first US state to extend the vote to women, but they have yet to allow same-sex marriage.

It was very easy to find beautiful pictures of Wyoming - it looks like it has a gorgeous and varied landscape, and an interesting unique culture and history.

I think a tour of the States in an old VW hippie van is now definitely in order...

South Dakota - Another US State on my list gets a Coryographies package!

Spearfish Falls, South Dakota

In my neurotic attempt to keep track of where in the world I've sent my jewellery to, you may remember an earlier post this year where I'd created a map of US states and filled in all the states I've sent my jewellery to.

It turned out that in the 1.5 years Coryographies has been up and running, I'd sent to 45 of 50 states!  How much Coryographies love is that!?  The missing states that I was after were then Hawaii, West Virginia, South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming.  Ones that I might personally have to visit wearing a sandwich board advertising my jewellery.

So since I don't have the money to fly to America and do what would probably be a very fun targeted road trip, I was very happy to receive an order from South Dakota near Coryographies' two year anniversary!

Hooray!

So I therefore name South Dakota my current favourite US state, because this week it has made me happy.

The Badlands in South Dakota

But I know nothing about South Dakota!  Do you?  This is what my preliminary research has found out:

South Dakota is in the mid North of the US.  It has stunning natural beauty (just look through the photos on Pinterest!).  Its name comes from the Lakota and Dakota native tribes (whose names I remember from linguistics classes, when we looked at the Lakota language a few times!).

The capital city is called Pierre, but the biggest city is Sioux Falls.  It has a gold rush history, much like where I'm from in Canada.  The town of Deadwood is also in South Dakota, which the HBO series of the same name took place in, adapted from a book starring Wild Bill Hockok, Calamity Jane and others!  A real wild west state with lots of history.  Mount Rushmore is even in South Dakota, I didn't know that!

So there you have it.  The education that Coryographies brings to you and me.  Which state will be next to make me very happy for a week?  Come on Hawaii!!

Mt Rushmore in South Dakota