The Nevada state seal was designed by Alanson W. Nightingill in 1866, incorporating symbols of the state’s resources, industry, and ideals. It features a quartz mill, a locomotive, silver-mining crew, and symbols of agriculture. The motto “All for Our Country” appears within a silver ring containing 36 stars. The design was officially adopted on February 24, 1866, and was changed in 1929 to show both smoke plumes descending to the left.
The Nevada state seal was designed by Alanson W. Nightingill and was modeled after the territorial seal used by the Nevada Territory prior to its incorporation. Nightingill designed the seal in what is known as the pictorial heraldic style, popular in the 19th century. This style generally attempts to depict symbolic images of a state’s resources, industry, and ideals. Images chosen for the Nevada state seal include a quartz mill, a locomotive, a silver-mining crew, and symbols of agriculture, such as a plow and scythe. The design for the Nevada state seal was officially approved on Feb. 19-24 and was finally standardized among state documents in 1866.
Nevada became a U.S. territory in 1861 and began working toward full statehood. A constitutional convention in 1863 crafted the basic design of the state seal of Nevada. The convention accepted the pictorial design proposed by Alanson Nightingill. It borrowed the motto originally used on the Nevada territorial seal, which was “Volens et Potens” or “Willing and Able.” A second constitutional convention in 1864 changed the official state motto to “All for Our Country,” which appears at the bottom of the state seal, within a silver ring containing 36 stars.
The design of the Nevada state seal incorporates elements symbolic of Nevada’s mineral and agricultural resources, landscape, and technological advancement. Bundles of grain and agricultural tools are in the foreground of the picture, and a quartz mill and a silver mine are depicted in the center. Telegraph wires and a locomotive crossing a bridge can be seen in the background. Two rings delimit this image: an inner ring in silver and an outer one in gold. The 36 stars on the inner ring symbolize Nevada’s position as the 36th state to join the United States, while the outer gold ring bears the legend “Great Seal of the State of Nevada”.
President Abraham Lincoln granted statehood to Nevada on October 31, 1864. The design for the Nevada state seal was officially and finally adopted on February 24, 1866. The earliest reproductions of the state seal showed the smoke of the locomotive trailing behind it and the smoke from the mill gliding to the right. The design was changed again in 1929 when it was decided that both smoke plumes should descend to the left.
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