Seal of Minnesota

Great Seal of the State of Minnesota
Versions
Historical coat of arms (illustrated, 1876)
Details
Armiger	State of Minnesota
Adopted	May 10, 1983[1]
Motto	L'Étoile du Nord (English: The Star of the North)
Earlier versions
Use	Former Minnesotan state seal, used from 1858 to 1971.

The Great Seal of the State of Minnesota is the state seal of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Originally adopted in 1858, it has undergone several alterations since then, in 1971 and 1983.^[2]

Symbolism

The sun, visible on the western horizon, signifies summer in the northern hemisphere. The horizon's visibility signifies the flat plains covering much of Minnesota. The American Indian on horseback is riding towards the south and represents the American Indian heritage of Minnesota. The Indian's horse and spear and the Pioneer's ax, rifle, and plow represent tools that were used for hunting and labor. The stump symbolizes the importance of the lumber industry in Minnesota's history. The Mississippi River and St. Anthony Falls are depicted to note the importance of these resources in transportation and industry. The cultivated ground and the plow symbolize the importance of agriculture in Minnesota. Beyond the falls three pine trees represent the state tree and the three pine regions of Minnesota; the St. Croix, Mississippi, and Lake Superior.^[3]

In the original version, the Indian is dressed in his war costumes while the farmer is in the field with his firearm. There seems to have been great tension between certain tribes of the Sioux and the settlers. "The Indian's Revenge^[4]" by Alexander Berghold, writes about an outbreak of Indian attacks which started much as the scene in the original seal. The author makes the statement that after the attacks, settlers were allowed to kill any Sioux that was found in a settlement and that no settler left their home without their rifle. He goes on to say, "The seal of the State, therefore, seems very appropriate."

The first seal was adopted in 1858 and the attacks were in 1862.

Government Seals of Minnesota

• 
  Seal of the Minnesota Department of Transportation
• 
  Seal of the Minnesota National Guard

See also

• Flag of Minnesota

References

1. ↑ Office of the Revisor of Statutes (May 10, 1983). "1.135 STATE SEAL". Laws of Minnesota. State of Minnesota. Archived from the original on March 12, 2014. Retrieved March 12, 2014.  |chapter= ignored (help)
2. ↑ Minnesota Historical Society. "State Seal" (PDF). State of Minnesota. pp. 21–23. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 5, 2005. Retrieved September 5, 2005. 
3. ↑ "Minnesota Statutes - 1.135 STATE SEAL". Office of the Revisor of Statutes. 1983. Archived from the original on June 9, 2012. Retrieved June 9, 2012. 
4. ↑ Berghold, Alexander; Thomas, P. J. (1891-01-01). The Indians' revenge; or, Days of horror. Some appalling events in the history of the Sioux. San Francisco: P. J. Thomas. 

State seals of the United States
States	Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming	Great Seal of the United States
Federal district	Washington, D.C.
Insular areas	American Samoa Guam Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico U.S. Virgin Islands

State of Minnesota
Saint Paul (capital)
Topics	Outline Index Cities Climate Colleges and universities Congressional districts Ecology Geography Geology Governors High schools Historical Congressional delegations Historical Landmarks History Lakes Movies and television Music People Political parties Rivers School districts Scouting State fair State parks Territory Townships Transportation Visitor attractions
Society	Culture Crime Demographics Economy Education Politics Sports Theater
Regions	Arrowhead Boundary Waters Buffalo Ridge Central Coteau des Prairies Dissected Till Plains Driftless Area Iron Range Minnesota River Valley North Shore Northwest Angle North Woods Pipestone Red River Valley Siouxland Southeast Twin Cities metropolitan area
Largest cities pop. over 25,000	Andover Apple Valley Blaine Bloomington Brooklyn Center Brooklyn Park Burnsville Chaska Coon Rapids Cottage Grove Duluth Eagan Eden Prairie Edina Fridley Inver Grove Heights Lakeville Mankato Maple Grove Maplewood Minneapolis Minnetonka Moorhead Oakdale Owatonna Plymouth Prior Lake Ramsey Richfield Rochester Roseville St. Cloud St. Louis Park Saint Paul Savage Shakopee Shoreview Winona Woodbury
Counties	Aitkin Anoka Becker Beltrami Benton Big Stone Blue Earth Brown Carlton Carver Cass Chippewa Chisago Clay Clearwater Cook Cottonwood Crow Wing Dakota Dodge Douglas Faribault Fillmore Freeborn Goodhue Grant Hennepin Houston Hubbard Isanti Itasca Jackson Kanabec Kandiyohi Kittson Koochiching Lac qui Parle Lake Lake of the Woods Le Sueur Lincoln Lyon Mahnomen Marshall Martin McLeod Meeker Mille Lacs Morrison Mower Murray Nicollet Nobles Norman Olmsted Otter Tail Pennington Pine Pipestone Polk Pope Ramsey Red Lake Redwood Renville Rice Rock Roseau Saint Louis Scott Sherburne Sibley Stearns Steele Stevens Swift Todd Traverse Wabasha Wadena Waseca Washington Watonwan Wilkin Winona Wright Yellow Medicine