Knot Pining: It's time for new state flag

Don't blame the flag designer from 1893. It was a rush job, with one significant requirement that is vexing vexillologists today. That's the word used for flag experts, people who study and comment on flag design.

This month, the state legislature is mulling the idea of a new state flag. For years, vexillologists have urged a new flag based on some pretty solid design principles. Our flag is unremarkable, a state seal on a blue background like so many other state flags. It is printed on one side, so the design on the back is reversed. The seal is a busy mess that isn't distinguishable as it hangs from a flagpole.

And then there is the idea behind that state seal, a settler farmer toiling in a field while a Native man rushes by on a horse. The scene has been tweaked over the years but its imperialist impressions remain.

Some might cry that this is more "cancel culture" and that we need to be focused on more pertinent matters. I think the legislature can chew gum and discuss such matters at the same time.

The state seal is problematic, especially when you discover the poem that accompanied it when it came to being around the time of statehood in 1858. Interpretations have wavered over the last several decades, but the poem is really all that counts. In short, it described the scene on the seal: Settlers were here and the people native to the land should understand that their time is done. Move on. It wasn't a charitable sentiment then and it is, indeed, offensive today.

But don't blame Amelia Center. She won $15 in 1893 for her design of an elaborate flag that was needed for the World's Fair in Chicago that year. Within a few months, her design was accepted and a flag was produced to fly in front of the Minnesota building at the fair. It was a big deal. The state was clamoring for attention and bodies. Great care was taken to represent the state well at the fair.

But the first flag was wholly impracticable. It was two sheets of silk, one side white and one blue. The embroidered state seal on each side was awash in ribbon and depictions of lady slipper flowers. The design contest required that the state seal be used and the national colors of red, white and blue.

So Amelia had no choice, the seal had to be prominent. After the flag was approved by the legislature, there was even debate on whether or not the flowers depicted on the flag were indeed the state orchid.

The flag was 8 feet long and weighed so much that it really didn't fly in the wind, it was just a limp rag on a pole. It served its purpose for the fair, but for years no one really knew there was a state flag, since recreating one was an expensive affair. In 1953, when the idea of a simpler, more practicable flag was discussed for honoring the state's centennial, a hand-embroidered flag would have cost $35, or $350 in today's money.

The flag was rarely seen in public until today's simpler version was created. Before the late 1950s, most schools and public buildings didn't have the state flag on display.

More than three decades ago, there was a push to create a flag that was more distinctive. The Minnesota flag ranks near the bottom for its design. Think of flags you remember in an instant: Texas, New Mexico, Alaska. They have simple design elements yet are steeped in the history of the state.

In 1989, a flag emerged from the discussion. It was white, blue and green in a wave pattern and included a north star. Many people have since adopted this as a state flag and you might see one displayed here and there. It would seem simple to just take that flag and run with it.

Interestingly enough, Duluth had a city flag design contest a few years ago and eventually accepted one in 2019 that is nearly a replica of the 1989 flag. The advocates and creators of that flag were enthusiastic that Duluth adopted its design.

It is time for a new flag. And it's definitely time for a new state seal. The flag is easy - just separate it from the seal. Once that bandage comes off, we can debate a seal that is inclusive and a better descriptive of the state.

Mike Creger is a reporter and page designer for the Pine Knot News. He can be reached at [email protected]

Publisher Pete Radosevich and his Harry's Gang column is on hiatus as he runs for public office.