The Wisconsin state flag was adopted in 1913 and modified in 1979 to be more distinguishable. It features the state coat of arms with symbols representing major industries and the state animal, badger. It is displayed in federal and state buildings and can be flown at half-mast by order of the Governor.
The state flag of Wisconsin was first adopted in 1913 and had its last modification in 1979, to allow it to be more distinguishable from other US state flags. During the Civil War (1861 – 1865), although Wisconsin had been a state since 1848, it still did not have a state flag. Soldiers fighting in the war asked for a flag to fly, and in 1863 a selection committee met to choose the state flag of Wisconsin.
It took years for the state flag to finally be made official, but in 1913 the flag, much like the one used by regiments in warfare, was adopted as the state flag of Wisconsin. Essentially, it consisted of a deep blue background with the Wisconsin state coat of arms in the center. On one side was a miner and on the other a sailor. In 1979, the word Wisconsin, in capital letters, was added above the shield and the date 1848 below the shield, as the flag was quite similar to that of some other US states.
The coat of arms, centered on the Wisconsin state flag, contains a blue ring in the center, with a smaller shield and the colors of the United States, surrounded by the phrase “E PLURIBUS UNUM”, which means “Among many, One”, the motto of the United States. The coat of arms is then divided into four sections containing a plough, an anchor, an arm and hammer, a pick and a shovel. These are representative of Wisconsin’s major industries, namely manufacturing, agriculture and farming, mining, and shipping.
Above the crest is the Wisconsin state animal, a badger, along with a white banner that reads “FORWARD,” which is the state motto of Wisconsin. Below the shield is a cornucopia, representing Wisconsin’s agricultural wealth, and a pile of lead, representing its mining. Below that is “1848,” for the year Wisconsin was declared a state.
The Wisconsin state flag, along with the state’s other symbols, such as its animal, the yew, and the tree, the sugar maple, help promote state spirit and patriotism. Combining symbols relating to Wisconsin’s cultural, natural, and economic history, it brings together a proud state. The flag is displayed, along with the United States flag, in all federal and state buildings. May be flown at half-mast upon order of the Governor of Wisconsin, in the event of the death of current or former state officials or members of the military.
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