Seal of Montana

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Seal of Montana
Seal of Montana.svg
Details
Introduced 1865
Motto (motto) Oro y Plata

The seal of the US state of Montana was introduced in 1865 when the present US state was territory of the United States .

description

The inner ring of the seal shows the landscape of Montana and the typical tools used by the settlers during the time of the first settlement.

In the background the sun rises over the mountains, the forests and the waterfalls of the Missouri River ( see Great Falls ).

In the foreground are the tools used in agriculture and mining, the pickaxe , shovel and plow , which show both the agricultural wealth and the natural resources of the state.

Flag of Montana

The ribbon in the lower part contains the Spanish word “Oro y plata” (German gold and silver ), a reference to the history of gold and silver finds. The band extends to the outer ring. The outer ring contains the lettering the great seal of the state of Montana and a cross at the bottom.

The motto can also be found in the flag of Montana .

history

The design of a seal was commissioned by the administration of the Montana Territory . The seal should represent elements of nature as well as the economic potential of the territory.

The appointed committee chose a pickaxe , shovel and plow for the economic potential.

Mountains , trees , buffalo and other animals in the landscape of the Great Falls waterfalls of the Missouri River should symbolize the abundant nature.

The motto of the gold and silver territory should be added in Spanish. Several mistakes were made during the creation of the seal and in the years that followed, with several different designers involved. The motto was translated incorrectly and later had to be corrected from Oro el Plata to Oro y Plata .

Instead of the plentiful buffalo and the other animals, a lone buffalo was depicted. In 1876 this buffalo also disappeared from the seal. In 1887 the shape of the mountains was changed, the sky became cloudless, the trees grew and the orientation of the sun changed.

In 1889 , Montana became a state and the seal was adopted. In 1891 efforts were made to change the seal or to design a completely new seal. For example, 41 stars , Indians , buffalos , settlers with their wagons, a train , a carriage , horses , sheep , herds , a mine worker, a mill , a school building , a river or an irrigated field were to be added in different designs . However, these efforts were unsuccessful. Instead, the word state was used instead of territory. During the production of the seal, however, the engraver again made some unauthorized changes. He gave the mountains a new shape, changed the course of the river and moved some trees.

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