Brief History of the North Dakota State Flag

The current flag of North Dakota was adopted on March 3, 1911. However, the history of the flag stretches back much further than that. In fact, the first flag flown over what is now North Dakota was the French tricolor in 1762. Here is a brief history of the North Dakota flag and how it has changed over time.

The first flag flown over what is now North Dakota was the French tricolor in 1762. This flag was replaced by the British Union Jack when Britain took control of the area in 1763. The Union Jack remained the official flag of the area until 1803 when the United States purchased it from France as part of the Louisiana Purchase.

The first unofficial flag of North Dakota was flown during the Minnesota Territorial Days from 1858 to 1861. This flag featured a blue field with a white star in the center. This star represented Minnesota Territory, which at that time also included what is now North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana.

When Minnesota was admitted as a state in 1858, the star on the territorial flags was replaced with a new design that featured a blue field with two arrows crossing in the center and a sunburst above them. This design represented both Native Americans and settlers coming together in peace.

When North Dakota became a state in 1889, its state Seal was placed on a blue background and became its official flag. However, this Flag was not very popular and many people felt it was too busy and hard to read from a distance. In 1911, after years of debate, a new Flag design was finally adopted which featured a simple red field with a blue band along the bottom containing white stars representing North Dakota’s admission into the Union as the 39th state.

The current flag of North Dakota was adopted on March 3, 1911 and has remained unchanged since then. This simple design features a red field with a blue band along the bottom containing white stars representing North Dakota’s admission into the Union as the 39th state. The Flag has become an iconic symbol of North Dakota and is flown proudly by residents all across the state.