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Copyright 2001. The Lazy 'C' - All rights reserved.
history
On January 21, 1911, Representative Colonel John H. Fraine introduced H.B. No. 152 designating an official flag for the state of North Dakota (1911 S.L., ch. 283). The legislation specifically required that the flag conform to the colour, form, and size of the regimental flag carried by the North Dakota Infantry in the Spanish-American War in 1898 and Philippine Island Insurrection in 1899; the only exception was the name North Dakota placed on the scroll below the eagle. On March 3, 1911, the Legislative Assembly adopted the North Dakota state flag. North Dakota Century Code Section 54-02-02 describes the state flag in detail.
In 1951 S.B. No. 156 established the North Dakota State Flag Commission to consider changes to the flag (1951 S.L., ch.303). The commission concluded the flag "too closely resembled the coat of arms of the United States and that the flag was not symbolic of North Dakota." The commission's conclusions were widely challenged and its suggested changes rejected. S.B. No. 265 was introduced during the 1953 session and contained the recommendation of the flag commission. That legislation was defeated.
North Dakota's dark blue field displays a bald eagle holding an olive branch and a bundle of arrows in its claws. In its beak, the eagle carries a ribbon with the words " One nation made up of many states". The shield on its breast has thirteen stars, representing the original thirteen states. The fan shaped design above the eagle represents the birth of a new nation, the United States. The name "North Dakota" appears on a red scroll below the eagle.
In 1951 S.B. No. 156 established the North Dakota State Flag Commission to consider changes to the flag (1951 S.L., ch.303). The commission concluded the flag "too closely resembled the coat of arms of the United States and that the flag was not symbolic of North Dakota." The commission's conclusions were widely challenged and its suggested changes rejected. S.B. No. 265 was introduced during the 1953 session and contained the recommendation of the flag commission. That legislation was defeated.
North Dakota's dark blue field displays a bald eagle holding an olive branch and a bundle of arrows in its claws. In its beak, the eagle carries a ribbon with the words " One nation made up of many states". The shield on its breast has thirteen stars, representing the original thirteen states. The fan shaped design above the eagle represents the birth of a new nation, the United States. The name "North Dakota" appears on a red scroll below the eagle.
Nickname: The Peace Garden State.
Capital: Bismark.
Constitution: The 39th State.
Statehood: November 2nd 1889.
Motto: Liberty and Union Now and Forever, One Inseparable
History:
Several Indian tribes lived in the North Dakota region before white people first arrived. The state was named after the Sioux Indians, who called themselves Dakota or Lakota, meaning allies or friends.
During the 1600's and 1700's, parts of the region were ruled by France, Spain, and Great Britain. All of present-day North Dakota had become U.S. territory by 1818. Large-scale farming began in the area during the 1870's.
Construction of the great Garrison Dam, near Riverdale, began in 1946 and was completed in 1960.
In 1968, construction began on the Garrison Diversion Project to increase the state's water supply. In 1986, the U.S. Congress modified the project for environmental reasons.
Bird:
Western Meadowlark (Sturnella Neglecta) - Approximately the size of a robin, the meadowlark sports a yellow breast with a black bib over its mottled brown body. These song birds are found from Wisconsin to Texas and westward to the Pacific.
Economy:
Agriculture: Wheat, cattle, barley, sunflowers, milk, sugar beets.
Industry: Food processing, machinery, mining, tourism.
Flower:
Wild Prairie Rose (Rosa Blanda or Arkansana) The flower has been identified as Rosa Pratincula in species. The flower sports five bright pink petals with a tight cluster of yellow stamens in the centre. The Wild Prairie Rose grows along roadsides, in pastures, and in native meadows.
Motto:
The motto of Dakota Territory was Liberty and Union, One and Inseparable, Now and Forever. This language was suggested by Dr. Joseph Ward of Yankton, South Dakota, who was quoting from Daniel Webster's Reply to Hayne. However, the motto used for the Territory had two of the phrases reversed; when North Dakota became a state that error was corrected.
Nickname:
Peace Garden State - The International Peace Garden straddles the international Boundary between North Dakota and the Canadian province of Manitoba. In 1956 the North Dakota Motor Vehicle Department, on its own initiative, placed the words Peace Garden State on license plates; the name proved so popular that it was formally adopted by the 1957 legislature (North Dakota Century Code (NDCC), Section 39-04-12).
Flickertail State - Flickertail refers to the Richardson ground squirrels which are abundant in North Dakota. The animal flicks or jerks its tail in a characteristic manner while running or just before entering its burrow. In 1953 the Legislative Assembly defeated Senate Bill (S.B.) No. 134 that would have adopted the Flickertail facsimile as the official emblem of the state.
Roughrider State - This name originated in a state-supported tourism promotion of the 1960s and 70s. It refers to the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry which Theodore Roosevelt organized to fight in the Spanish-American War. In fact, the "Roughriders," which included several North Dakota cowboys, fought dismounted in Cuba due to logistical problems. In both 1971 (House Bill No. {H.B. No.} 1383) and 1973 (G.B. No. 1443) the Legislative Assembly defeated bills intended to change the words Peace Garden State on state license plates to Roughrider Country. Dakota - An attempt to drop the word North from the state name was defeated by the 1947 Legislative Assembly (House Concurrent Resolution {H.C.R.} J). Again in 1989, the Legislature rejected two resolutions (Senate Concurrent Resolutions Nos. {S.C.R. No.} 4031 and 4032) intended to rename the state Dakota.
Origin of state's name:
On March 2, 1861, President James Buchanan signed the bill creating the Dakota Territory, which originally included the area covered today by both Dakotas as well as Montana and Wyoming. The name was taken from that of the Dakota or Sioux Indian Tribe. Beginning about 1877, efforts were made to bring Dakota into the Union as both a single state and as two states. The latter was successful and on November 2, 1889, both North and South Dakota were admitted. Since President Benjamin Harrison went to great lengths to obscure the order in which the statehood proclamations were signed, the exact order in which the two states entered is unknown. However, because of alphabetical position, North Dakota is often considered the 39th state. Dakota is the Sioux Indian word for "friend".
Seal:
The description reads as follows: A tree in the open field, the trunk of which is surrounded by three bundles of wheat; on the right a plow, anvil and sledge; on the left, a bow crossed with three arrows, and and Indian on horseback pursuing a buffalo toward the setting sun; the foliage of the tree arched by a half circle of forty-two stars, surrounded by the motto Liberty and Union Now and Forever, One and Inseparable; the words Great Seal at the top; the words State of North Dakota at the bottom; October 1st on the left and 1889 on the right.
To more clearly define the acceptable uses of the Great Seal and to end the dependency on the opinions, Senate Bill 2448 was passed by the Fifty-fourth Legislative Assembly. The bill gave the Secretary of State greater flexibility and authority in carrying out the custodial responsibilities related to the Great Seal. In addition, it specifically prohibited the use of the Great Seal for political purposes. The existing law was also amended to allow the Great Seal to be reproduced, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, on items for sale as gifts and souvenirs by the State Historical Society and the Parks and Recreation Department.
Tree:
American Elm (Ulmus Americana) - Common across the state, the American Elm often reaches 120 feet or taller.
Several Indian tribes lived in the North Dakota region before white people first arrived. The state was named after the Sioux Indians, who called themselves Dakota or Lakota, meaning allies or friends.
During the 1600's and 1700's, parts of the region were ruled by France, Spain, and Great Britain. All of present-day North Dakota had become U.S. territory by 1818. Large-scale farming began in the area during the 1870's.
Construction of the great Garrison Dam, near Riverdale, began in 1946 and was completed in 1960.
In 1968, construction began on the Garrison Diversion Project to increase the state's water supply. In 1986, the U.S. Congress modified the project for environmental reasons.
Bird:
Western Meadowlark (Sturnella Neglecta) - Approximately the size of a robin, the meadowlark sports a yellow breast with a black bib over its mottled brown body. These song birds are found from Wisconsin to Texas and westward to the Pacific.
Economy:
Agriculture: Wheat, cattle, barley, sunflowers, milk, sugar beets.
Industry: Food processing, machinery, mining, tourism.
Flower:
Wild Prairie Rose (Rosa Blanda or Arkansana) The flower has been identified as Rosa Pratincula in species. The flower sports five bright pink petals with a tight cluster of yellow stamens in the centre. The Wild Prairie Rose grows along roadsides, in pastures, and in native meadows.
Motto:
The motto of Dakota Territory was Liberty and Union, One and Inseparable, Now and Forever. This language was suggested by Dr. Joseph Ward of Yankton, South Dakota, who was quoting from Daniel Webster's Reply to Hayne. However, the motto used for the Territory had two of the phrases reversed; when North Dakota became a state that error was corrected.
Nickname:
Peace Garden State - The International Peace Garden straddles the international Boundary between North Dakota and the Canadian province of Manitoba. In 1956 the North Dakota Motor Vehicle Department, on its own initiative, placed the words Peace Garden State on license plates; the name proved so popular that it was formally adopted by the 1957 legislature (North Dakota Century Code (NDCC), Section 39-04-12).
Flickertail State - Flickertail refers to the Richardson ground squirrels which are abundant in North Dakota. The animal flicks or jerks its tail in a characteristic manner while running or just before entering its burrow. In 1953 the Legislative Assembly defeated Senate Bill (S.B.) No. 134 that would have adopted the Flickertail facsimile as the official emblem of the state.
Roughrider State - This name originated in a state-supported tourism promotion of the 1960s and 70s. It refers to the First U.S. Volunteer Cavalry which Theodore Roosevelt organized to fight in the Spanish-American War. In fact, the "Roughriders," which included several North Dakota cowboys, fought dismounted in Cuba due to logistical problems. In both 1971 (House Bill No. {H.B. No.} 1383) and 1973 (G.B. No. 1443) the Legislative Assembly defeated bills intended to change the words Peace Garden State on state license plates to Roughrider Country. Dakota - An attempt to drop the word North from the state name was defeated by the 1947 Legislative Assembly (House Concurrent Resolution {H.C.R.} J). Again in 1989, the Legislature rejected two resolutions (Senate Concurrent Resolutions Nos. {S.C.R. No.} 4031 and 4032) intended to rename the state Dakota.
Origin of state's name:
On March 2, 1861, President James Buchanan signed the bill creating the Dakota Territory, which originally included the area covered today by both Dakotas as well as Montana and Wyoming. The name was taken from that of the Dakota or Sioux Indian Tribe. Beginning about 1877, efforts were made to bring Dakota into the Union as both a single state and as two states. The latter was successful and on November 2, 1889, both North and South Dakota were admitted. Since President Benjamin Harrison went to great lengths to obscure the order in which the statehood proclamations were signed, the exact order in which the two states entered is unknown. However, because of alphabetical position, North Dakota is often considered the 39th state. Dakota is the Sioux Indian word for "friend".
Seal:
The description reads as follows: A tree in the open field, the trunk of which is surrounded by three bundles of wheat; on the right a plow, anvil and sledge; on the left, a bow crossed with three arrows, and and Indian on horseback pursuing a buffalo toward the setting sun; the foliage of the tree arched by a half circle of forty-two stars, surrounded by the motto Liberty and Union Now and Forever, One and Inseparable; the words Great Seal at the top; the words State of North Dakota at the bottom; October 1st on the left and 1889 on the right.
To more clearly define the acceptable uses of the Great Seal and to end the dependency on the opinions, Senate Bill 2448 was passed by the Fifty-fourth Legislative Assembly. The bill gave the Secretary of State greater flexibility and authority in carrying out the custodial responsibilities related to the Great Seal. In addition, it specifically prohibited the use of the Great Seal for political purposes. The existing law was also amended to allow the Great Seal to be reproduced, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, on items for sale as gifts and souvenirs by the State Historical Society and the Parks and Recreation Department.
Tree:
American Elm (Ulmus Americana) - Common across the state, the American Elm often reaches 120 feet or taller.