Nebraska State Flag

Nebraska is a state in the United States that is in both the Midwestern United States and the Great Plains. To the north, it is bound by South Dakota, Missouri is to the southeast while Iowa is to its east, and Kansas is to the south. Wyoming is to the west, and the southwest is bordered by Colorado. Nebraska is unique because it is the only state in the US that is triply landlocked. Lincoln City is the capital of Nebraska while Omaha, which is on the Missouri River, is the largest town. Nebraska’s area is slightly over 77,220 square miles which is populated by close to 1.9 million people. The indigenous populace is composed of Omaha, Otoe, Ponca, Missouria, Pawnee, and various groups that are part of the Lakota tribes.

Flag of Nebraska

The flag of Nebraska is a rectangular piece of blue fabric printed with the seal of Nebraska. The Great Seal of Nebraska has been in use since 1867. The seal comprises of an image of a train steaming in the background, with some mountains also visible further back. In the middle-ground, a steamboat is seen moving on the Missouri River. On the side of the Missouri River which is even closer to the fore, a cabin can be seen next to a sheave of harvested wheat. The wheat and cabin show the significance of settling and farming. At the foreground, there is an image of a blacksmith working at his anvil. The motto “Equality Before the Law” is written at the top of the seal while the outermost ring of the round seal has the text “Great Seal of the State of Nebraska, March 1st, 1867.”

The present design of the flag was commissioned back in 1952 when a bill to use the national blue color as the background of the flag with the seal of the state printed on top in gold and silver colors.

History of the Flag

The seal is unchanged, the same seal that was adopted in 1867 is still in use. However, there were a number of bills tabled to change the seal. The most popular bill that attempted to change the seal was by Bertram Goodhue, the architect of the Nebraska State Capitol. The bill failed to pass in the legislature. Nebraska was among the late states to adopt an official state flag with the official design taking place in the year 1963.

Surveys by the North American Vexillological Association show that flag was the second-worst among the 72 Canadian and US flags. The worst flag at the time of the survey was that of Georgia, but it was temporary and changed was changed in 2002. Several attempts have been made to change the flag. One attempt was in 2002 and then again in 2017. Both attempts failed.

Other State Symbols

The state’s flower is the goldenrod, the western meadowlark is the official state bird, the cottonwood tree is the official tree, the official bird is the honeybee, and the state’s mammal is the white-tailed deer among other state symbols.