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South Dakota has had three official state flags, with the first design being too expensive to maintain. Each version incorporates the state seal, designed before statehood. The 1909 flag had a bright sun on one side and the seal on the other, while the 1963 design combined both symbols on one side. In 1992, the state changed its nickname to “The Mount Rushmore State,” but both previous flags remain official.
South Dakota may be a rarity among American states in apparently having three official state flags of different designs in existence at the same time. The first design of the South Dakota state flag ultimately proved too expensive to maintain. It was replaced by a similar but less expensive design in 1963. A 1992 law changed South Dakota’s nickname from “The Sunshine State” to “The Mount Rushmore State.” The legislation for both the 1963 and 1992 amendments contained a provision that any previous flag made in accordance with South Dakota law was to remain an official state flag.
Each version of the South Dakota state flag incorporated the South Dakota state seal into its design. What has become the state seal was designed prior to South Dakota’s admission to the Union as the 40th state of the United States in 1889. The original design of the South Dakota state flag was adopted in 1909. The design is was created by Ida Anding McNeil, a legislative librarian for South Dakota. The flag was double-sided, with a bright sun on one side and the Great Seal of South Dakota on the other.
On the 1909 flag, a gold sun is centered on a blue background. Above the sun, in the arc of its circle, are engraved in gold letters “South Dakota”. Under the sun, even in the arc of its circle, “The Sunshine State” is written in gold letters. On the reverse side of the sun, the state seal is printed on a dark blue field.
The state seal consists of a circle displaying various symbols of South Dakota. Dividing the circle of the seal is a river on which a steamer is traveling. To the right of the river a farmer is plowing a row for planting, and beyond the farmer cattle graze in a field. Across the river is a foundry and snow-capped mountains loom in the distance. At the top of the circle on a banner is the state motto: “Under God the People Rule”.
The 1909 flag remained the state flag of South Dakota until 1963. Although it was still a popular design, lawmakers determined at that time that a flag with one emblem on each side was too expensive to make. They emphasized the fact that there were few state flags and were rarely seen flying. The 1963 legislation placed the state seal in the center of a serrated sun, thus combining both symbols on one side of the flag. The new act left the 1909 flag’s status as the official state flag intact.
In 1992, the Legislature changed the South Dakota state flag again. It replaced the phrase “The Sunshine State” under the state seal with “The Mount Rushmore State.” Under this legislation, the 1963 flag is still an official flag. Currently, the only official state nickname for South Dakota, however, is “The Mount Rushmore State.”
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