Minnesota

flag of Minnesota
The North Star State
Admitted May 11, 1858

In prepration for the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, a Minnesota Women’s Auxiliary Board was put together to create a design. They hosted a contest and from 200 submissions, local artist Amelia Hyde Center designed the winning flag.

It was embroidered by Pauline and Thomane Fjelde, sisters who won a gold medal for their work. The flag was officially adopted April 4, 1893.

In 1957, the flag was simplified for easier production and changed again in 1983, to reflect updates to the state seal.

This version of the flag was officially adopted August 2, 1983.

Composition

The Minnesota flag features a field of medium blue charged with the state seal, centered.

In the 2001 North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) flag survey of United States and Canada flags, the flag of Minnesota was ranked 67th out of 72.

flag of Minnesota

Iconography

  • five groups of four stars, positioned to look like a star’s points

    19 Stars

    Minnesota as the North Star State and the nineteenth state after the original thirteen colonies

  • wreath of flowers

    pink & white lady’s slipper

    state flower, regional flora

    Note: It was previously depicted as white lady’s slipper, which is not native to Minnesota.

  • 1858, 1819, 1893

    dates

    the establishment of Fort Snelling (1819), Minnesota’s year of statehood (1858), and the flag’s adoption (1893)

  • L’etoile Du Nord

    motto

    The Star of the North

  • a man plows a field

    pioneer

    agriculture, hunting, logging

  • a Native American man rides on a horse before a sunset

    Native American

    the rich history of Native peoples

    Note: See the coat of arms section below.

  • mountains, a river, waterfall, and trees

    nature

    transportation, commerce, the Mississippi River and St. Anthony Falls, the three pine regions (St. Croix, Mississippi, Lake Superior).

Coat of Arms

The original seal and coat of arms depicted a Sioux man in war attire fleeing into the distance.

This was seen as offensive and historically inaccurate, so the seal was updated in 1983 to depict the man riding his horse toward the pioneer. This was meant to include Native Americans in Minnesota history.

Still, many would prefer the flag be redesigned entirely, introducing bills and petitions to change the flag. None have been successful, yet.

the Minnesota coat of arms

Colors

Once a royal blue, the field is now a “medium” blue, drawing inspiration from Union blue used during the Civil War.

Neither Minnesota law nor the Office of the Secretary of State provides Cable or Pantone values for the colors of the flag.The hex values here are approximations.
Medium Blue
#3d68c9
White
#ffffff
Gold
#fcb216
Red
#ed1a3a
Green
#60bb48

Construction

Minnesota statute does not specify a size or proportion for the flag.

It is often produced with the common proportion of 3:5.

construction sheet for the flag of Minnesota

Previous iterations

  • field of white charged with the state seal; “Minnesota” is below, flanked by red ribbon

    1893-1957 Obverse

    Original two-sided design by Amelia Hyde Center.

  • the same as the obverse, but with a field of blue

    1893-1957 Reverse

    The reverse of Center’s design, later deemed too complicated for mass production.

  • a field of dark blue charged with the seal

    1957-1983

    The seal is updated, blue darkened, and reverse removed.

  • the current Minnesota flag

    1983-Present

    The current flag with medium blue and updated seal.

Sources