Arizona became a state in the 1900's. It was almost the last state to be admitted to the union. It became a state during the progressive era in American History. The idea of the state was to make the government more responsive to the peoples needs and be able to address the problems about the rapid growth of the economy. It became a state in 1912. The official state flag of Arizona was adopted of February 17, 1917. The thirteen yellow and red rays represent both the Sun's rays and the 13 colonies of the United States. The colors red and yellow are used because of the Spanish conquistadors. The state bird of Arizona is the Cactus Wren, the state flower is the Saguaro Cactus Blossom, the state song is the Arizona March song, and the state nickname is The Grand Canyon State.