U.S. state · SD
Flag of South Dakota
The South Dakota flag is a sky-blue field with the state seal at its center, surrounded by a radiating golden sun. Lettering above and below reads "South Dakota" and "The Mount Rushmore State".
What the South Dakota flag looks like
The state flag of South Dakota is a plain field of sky blue. In the middle sits the Great Seal of the state, drawn as a circle and surrounded by a ring of golden, pointed sun rays. Yellow lettering frames the emblem: the words South Dakota arch over the top and The Mount Rushmore State runs along the bottom.
The seal itself is a small landscape. A farmer plows a field in the foreground, with a cornfield and a herd of cattle nearby. A steamboat moves along a river, a smelting furnace stands for mining, and hills rise in the background. The seal's own motto is Under God the People Rule. The flag's proportions are 5:3 (one and two-thirds as long as it is wide).
South Dakota flag meaning and symbolism
The sky-blue field is crossed by the gold sun rays, which stand for the common sunny weather in South Dakota and recall the earlier flag wording, the Sunshine State. The scenes inside the seal show the main parts of the early economy: farming, ranching, river trade and mining. The seal is dated 1889, the year South Dakota became a state.
The words The Mount Rushmore State point to the granite memorial in the Black Hills, which is the best-known landmark in South Dakota. The monument is not drawn on the flag, but the wording ties the banner to it. Other states use similar seal-on-blue designs, and you can compare them on the U.S. state flags page.
History of the South Dakota flag
Dakota Territory was divided in 1889 and South Dakota joined the Union on November 2 of that year, together with North Dakota. The split was largely political, since two states meant more seats in Congress. For its first two decades the state had no official flag.
The legislature adopted a first state flag on 9 November 1909. It was designed by Ida McNeil at the request of Doane Robinson of the state historical department, who asked for a sun motif. It was two-sided, with a gold sun and the words "South Dakota" and "The Sunshine State" on the front and the state seal on the back. In 1963 the flag was redesigned as a one-sided flag with the seal placed inside the sun, because the two-sided version was costly and hard to make. In 1992 the lettering was changed to "The Mount Rushmore State" to match the state's new official nickname, giving the flag its current look.
For the national flag, see the flag of the United States.
South Dakota flag colors
#0074A8RGB
0, 116, 168CMYK
100, 31, 0, 34#FEC401RGB
254, 196, 1CMYK
0, 23, 100, 0#FEFEFERGB
254, 254, 254CMYK
0, 0, 0, 0#D4DAE5RGB
212, 218, 229CMYK
7, 5, 0, 10South Dakota flag facts
| Adopted | 1992 |
|---|---|
| Proportions | 5:8 |
| State capital | Pierre |
| State motto | Under God the people rule |
| Population | 886,667 |
South Dakota state flag FAQ
What does the South Dakota state flag represent?
It shows the state seal on a sky-blue field, ringed by a golden sun. The seal depicts farming, ranching, mining and river travel, and the wording names South Dakota as the Mount Rushmore State.
Did South Dakota get a new flag?
Not a new design, but the lettering was updated. In 1992 the flag's wording changed from the Sunshine State to the Mount Rushmore State. The blue field, seal and sun have stayed the same since the 1963 redesign.
What is the only state flag that is two-sided?
Oregon's flag is the best-known two-sided state flag, with a beaver on the back. South Dakota's flag from 1909 also differed between its front and back, but the current one is made to be read from the front like most state flags.
What is the motto on the South Dakota flag?
The flag itself carries the nickname "The Mount Rushmore State". The state seal, which sits in the center, contains the motto Under God the People Rule.
What did the old South Dakota flag look like?
The first flag, adopted on November 9, 1909, was designed by Ida McNeil. It was two-sided: the front had a gold sun on blue with the words South Dakota and The Sunshine State, and the state seal was on the back. A 1963 redesign put the seal inside the sun on one side, and the wording changed in 1992.
What colors are on the South Dakota flag?
The field is sky blue, with a gold serrated sun around the center and gold lettering reading South Dakota above and The Mount Rushmore State below. The state seal in the middle is shown in dark blue on a white background. Gold fringe is used only on flags for indoor and display use.
