Playing Cards - INDIANA

True to its motto, "Cross Roads of America" Indiana has more miles of Interstate Highway per square mile than any other state. The Indiana state Motto, can be traced back to the early 1800s. In the early years river traffic, especially along the Ohio, was a major means of transportation. At one time, 12 different stagecoach lines ran through Indiana on the National Road (now known as Interstate 40), a major westward route, and the north-south Michigan Road crossed in Indianapolis. Today more major highways intersect in Indiana than in any other state. Though a track, and not a highway, the first long-distance auto race in the U. S. was held May 30, 1911, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The winner averaged 75 miles an hour and won a 1st place prize of $14,000. Today the average speed is over 167 miles an hour and the prize is more than $1.2 million. Indianapolis Motor Speedway is the site of the greatest spectacle in sports, the Indianapolis 500. The Indianapolis 500 is held every Memorial Day weekend in the Hoosier capital city. A resident of Indiana isn't called an "Indianan". They are officially known as a "Hoosier". The origins of this are widely disputed, but the leading theory has "hoosier" originating from Virginia, the Carolinas and Tennessee as a term for backwoodsman, a rough countryman or country bumpkin. The state name, however, has a simpler origin, meaning "Land of the Indians", though less than 8,000 Native Americans live in the state today. As the state has only 40 miles of shoreline, many don't realize that Indiana is also a Great Lakes state, bordering Lake Michigan on the northwest. Indiana's state flower is the peony. This lovely design pays homage to our beautiful 19th state. An outline of the state is filled with lovely pink peonies. This is paired with the a light rose "Indiana" as well as the information pertaining to the state's flower. This delightful deck of cards makes a fabulous souvenir of your wonderful Indiana vacation.