South Dakota State Flag

What Is the South Dakota State Flag?

The South Dakota state flag is the official banner representing the state of South Dakota. A sky blue field holds the state seal at the center. A gold serrated sun surrounds the seal.

The words South Dakota appear in gold letters above the sun. The Mount Rushmore State appears below in gold letters. Both text elements follow the curve of the sun and seal. The flag measures one and two-thirds times as long as it is wide.

Ida Anding McNeil designed the original flag in 1909. The first version was two-sided with a blazing sun on the front and the state seal on the back. The state simplified the design in 1963. The current version dates to 1992 when the state nickname changed.

What the South Dakota State Flag Means

The South Dakota state flag meaning reflects the state's climate and geography. The blazing sun represents South Dakota's abundant sunshine. The blue field symbolizes the sky.

The state seal shows South Dakota's economy and landscape. A farmer at a plow represents agriculture. Cattle and corn indicate farming prosperity. A smelting furnace shows mining. A steamboat on a river marks commerce and transportation.

How South Dakota Chose Its State Flag

South Dakota lacked an official state flag until 1909. Senator Ernest May of Deadwood approached the State Historical Society about creating one. Doane Robinson, the society's superintendent, directed Ida Anding McNeil to design the flag. McNeil worked as a legislative reference librarian at the time.

Robinson requested only that the flag include a sun motif because South Dakota receives considerable sunshine. He suggested placing the state seal on the reverse side. McNeil created the first flag from silk. She placed the sun's appliqué and embroidered its rays. The phrases South Dakota and The Sunshine State were embroidered in arcs around the sun. The state seal was painted on a second piece of silk attached to the back.

Senate Bill 208 passed on November 9, 1909. The law appropriated money for two flags. One went to the Secretary of State. Seth Bullock received the other. The bill specified a blue field with a blazing sun in gold. The state seal appeared on the reverse in dark blue. Golden fringe trimmed the edges.

By 1963, the two-sided design proved difficult and expensive to reproduce. Each flag cost about seventy-five dollars for materials. McNeil recreated flags upon request for various organizations. The designs on both sides often showed through to the other.

State Representative William Sahr of Hughes County introduced House Bill 503 to redesign the flag. The new design reduced it to one side and moved the state seal inside the sun motif. The measure passed and was signed into law on March 11, 1963. McNeil supported the redesign but opposed moving the seal to the front.

On November 9, 1992, the state changed the text on the flag. State Representative Gordon Pederson introduced a bill to replace The Sunshine State with The Mount Rushmore State. This reflected the adoption of a new state nickname. The 1992 law specified that previous flag versions remained valid to use.

Previous Versions of the South Dakota State Flag

Symbols of the South Dakota State Flag

South Dakota State Flag Colors

The South Dakota state flag uses sky blue and gold. The blue field represents the sky above South Dakota. Gold appears on the sun rays and lettering.

The state seal includes additional colors showing different elements. These colors appear within the seal but are not specified in state law.

South Dakota State Flag Facts

• Ida Anding McNeil designed the original South Dakota state flag in 1909
• The first flag was two-sided with a sun on front and seal on back
• The state simplified the design to one side in 1963
• The motto changed from The Sunshine State to The Mount Rushmore State in 1992
• The flag ranked 68th out of 72 in a 2001 NAVA survey
• Previous flag versions remain valid to use according to state law