The State Flag of Minnesota

Image used with permission, courtesy of Brittanica Online

The state flag of Minnesota is blue with the state seal superimposed on the middle of it. Around the seal are pink and white lady's slippers, the state flower. A red ribbon scroll placed over the top portion of the seal bears the state motto. Nineteen stars are displayed outside the circle representing Minnesota's entry into the union as the nineteenth new state (after the original thirteen colonies became states). The state name and date of admission to the union (1858) are also displayed outside the ribbon border. On the ribbon two other dates are displayed in yellow lettering. 1819 is the date of the first settlement by Americans of European descent in Minnesota. 1893 is the date the state flag was adopted. The original state flag designed in 1893 had to be corrected. It displayed a white lady's slipper, not native to Minnesota, instead of the pink and white lady's slipper. The correction was made in 1957.

Sources:
Awesome Almanac Minnesota
Minnesota: State Name, Flag, Seal, Song, Bird, Flower, and Other Symbols