North Dakota’s state flag was designed in 1911, based on the battle flag of the North Dakota Infantry Regiment during the Spanish-American War. The flag features an American bald eagle holding an olive branch and arrows, with a scroll below reading “North Dakota.” The state motto is “Liberty and union, one and inseparable, now and forever.” Attempts to change the state name to Dakota were unsuccessful.
After North Dakota gained statehood in the United States, state representative Colonel John H. Fraine proposed legislation on January 1, 1911 for the design of the North Dakota state flag. A Senate bill created a commission to study the question of whether the state flag should be changed. The commission’s suggestions for changes were ultimately rejected, and the original flag design remained.
Originally, the state of North Dakota was part of the larger Dakota Territory. “Dakota” is the Sioux Indian word for friend. This area included lands that are now the western states of South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana. North Dakota became the 39th state to join the union, though it’s not yet clear whether the proclamation admitting the state was signed before or after South Dakota’s.
North Dakota is sometimes called the “Roughrider State.” This refers to the name of Theodore Roosevelt’s US Volunteer Cavalry which he organized to fight in the Spanish-American War. The state adopted as its motto the one used by the former Dakota territory, “Liberty and union, one and inseparable, now and forever.” Attempts were made to change the state name from North Dakota to simply Dakota, but were rebuffed.
In 1951, the North Dakota Flag Commission, established by the legislature, looked into possible changes to the North Dakota state flag. The commission felt that the flag looked too much like the coat of arms of the United States Army and symbolized nothing specific to North Dakota’s spirit or history. No action was taken on the committee’s findings.
Colonel Fraine’s requirements for the North Dakota state flag were very specific. With one exception, it was an exact copy of the battle flag of the North Dakota Infantry Regiment during the Spanish-American War. The only change made was that the new state name was added on a scroll below the eagle which was the central emblem of the regimental flag.
The state flag of North Dakota is an American bald eagle with wings spread on a dark blue field. The eagle grips an olive branch in one claw and a pair of arrows in the other, symbolizing peace through strength. Held in its beak is a rippled streamer engraved with the words “A nation made up of many states”.
The pectoral shield of the eagle bears a crest of 13 red and white stripes hanging from a blue crest, representing the original 13 states. A fan-shaped bronze design signifying a rising sun covers a field of 13 stars above the eagle’s head, symbolic of the birth of a new nation. Below the eagle, a gold-edged red scroll contains the legend “North Dakota.”
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