New Minnesota Flag, Emblem Official on Saturday, Statehood Day

UNDATED (WJON News) -- Minnesota's Statehood Day is this Saturday. It's the day the state will officially have a new flag and emblem.

However, don't be surprised if you still see the old flag flying over government buildings for a while.

Stearns County Administrator Mike Williams says the law states that flags of state agencies should be replaced by the end of 2024. So, when one of the state flags needs replacing, then the replacement will have the new design. He says the flags inside the courtrooms will be replaced when directed by the state, but the state buys those, not the county.

The new flag:
The star represents the North Star, or “L’étoile du Nord,” Minnesota’s state motto.
The dark blue field represents the night sky.
The bright blue field on the right side of the flag represents water

Minnesota State Seal

The new Emblem:
The outer circle of the seal contains 98 rectangular golden bars, representing the state’s 87 counties and the 11 federally recognized American Indian Tribes.

Symbols and Etymological History of Minnesota. The innermost part of the circle contains several symbols representing the State of Minnesota, including:
• images of wild rice, the official state grain of Minnesota;
• the common loon (gavia immer), the official state bird of Minnesota, including a red eye;
• a white, four-pointed star representing the Star of the North, or, “L’étoile du Nord,” the state motto;
• the phrase “Mni Sóta Makoce” represents the historical roots of the name of our state.

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Back in December, the State Emblems Redesign Commission submitted its final report. More than 2,600 designs were submitted during the public submission process.

The first Minnesota State Flag was adopted in 1893. It was significantly revised in 1957, with a minor update in 1983.

Minnesota became the 32nd state in the union on May 11th, 1858.

Minnesota's state symbols: