The nickname “The Hawkeye State” is said to have originated with the eponymous scout in James Fenimore Cooper’s The Last of the Mohicans, published in 1826. The nickname was given approval by "territorial officials" in 1838, twelve years after the book was published and eight years before Iowa became a state. The University of Iowa subsequently adopted the Hawkeye as the mascot for its sports teams in the late 19th century.