Year Adopted: 1911.

Acquired by the United States with the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, and renamed the Missouri Territory in 1812, North Dakota was as part of the organized Dakota Territory in 1861. North Dakota was admitted as the 39th state in 1889.

The North Dakota flag is similar to the flag used by North Dakota soldiers who fought alongside Theodore Roosevelt in the Spanish-American War in 1898. In 1911, the Legislative Assembly added the words “North Dakota” to this flag and adopted it as the official North Dakota state flag.

The flag contains a centered emblem that shows a bald eagle holding an olive branch, which is a symbol of peace, and a bundle of arrows in its claws. In the eagle’s beak is a ribbon with the Latin words “E Pluribus Unum” which means “many uniting into one.” This refers to the many states uniting into one nation.

The eagle has 13 stars above its head and a shield with 13 red and white stripes in front of it. The stars and stripes stand for the first 13 states in the United States. Below the eagle is a red scroll with the words “North Dakota.” (ref; history.nd.gov, North Dakota State Flag Official details)