Minnesota Statutes
1.141 Official state flag.
Subdivision 3. Description. The design of the flag shall conform substantially to the following description:
The staff is surmounted by a bronze eagle with outspread wings; the flag is rectangular in shape and is on a medium blue background with a narrow gold border and a golden fringe. A circular emblem is contained in the center of the blue field. The circular emblem is on a general white background with a yellow border. The word MINNESOTA is inscribed in red lettering on the lower part of the white field. The white emblem background surrounding a center design contains 19 five pointed stars arranged symmetrically in four groups of four stars each and one group of three stars. The latter group is in the upper part of the center circular white emblem. The group of stars at the top in the white emblem consists of three stars of which the uppermost star is the largest and represents the north star. A center design is contained on the white emblem and is made up of the scenes from the great seal of the state of Minnesota, surrounded by a border of intertwining Cypripedium reginae, the state flower, on a blue field of the same color as the general flag background. The flower border design contains the figures 1819, 1858, 1893. The coloring is the same on both sides of the flag, but the lettering and the figures appear reversed on one side.
Joe McMillan, 14 February 2000
The flag of Minnesota has the state seal in its center. Around the seal is a wreath of the state flower , the lady slipper. Three dates are woven into the wreath.
1858 - the year Minnesota became a state,
1819 - the year Fort Snelling was established and
1893 - the year the official flag was adopted.
The largest star between the 19 stars on the wreath represents Minnesota.
Dov Gutterman, 7 October 1998
The correct color is royal blue. That is the color the State of Minnesota requests when purchasing. The word Minnesota comes from the Dakota (Sioux) Indian language meaning sky tinted waters, or more popularly sky blue waters. Minnesota has many lakes, 15,215 over 10 acres. Because of the lakes and sky, we have always used a lighter blue, a medium blue which is close to royal blue. This is probably the most important feature of the flag and the part most people who see the flag as beautiful react to, that and the yellow stars which are a pleasing color combination.
Although there may be a firm standard for royal blue, I have several shades of royal blue, from lighter to darker, and have found the same when ordering royal blue. Even different dye lots turn out different shades.
Lee Herold, 23 December 2001 |
