Illinois Fire Patches

Illinois was the 21st state in the USA
Became a state on December 3, 1818.
State Capital is Springfield.
Nickname is Prairie State.

Illinois's original state flag was designed in 1913 by Lucy Derwent (who had won a contest), but was redesigned in 1970 by Mrs. Sanford Hutchinson.
- The flag's design is based upon the state's seal, which was designed by Sharon Tyndale, Illinois' secretary of state, in 1868.
- The flag has a white background, and much of the Illinois state seal is pictured in the center.
- There is a bald eagle perched on a rock holding a red, white, and blue shield in its talons (the stars are white on a blue background and the stripes are red and white).
- The shield has 13 stripes and 13 stars, representing the original 13 colonies of the USA. The eagle is holding a banner in its beak which reads "STATE," "SOVEREIGNTY," "NATIONAL," and "UNION."
- The word sovereignty is upside down.
- The rock has the dates 1818 and 1868 written on it; 1818 refers to the year Illinois became a state and 1868 refers to the date the state seal was redesigned.