Minnesota Fire Patches

Minnesota was the 32nd state in the USA; it became a state on May 11, 1858. - State Capital is St. Paul. - Nickname is Gopher State. North Star State. - Minnesota's official flag was adopted in 1893. The flag has a blue background. The central seal pictures a farmer plowing a field and an Indian riding a horse toward the sun. The scene is surrounded by ladyslippers, Minnesota's state flower. A red banner with yellow letters has the state motto, "L'ETOILE DU NORD," meaning "the star of the north" in French. Three dates are on the flag: 1858 (at the top), the year Minnesota became a state; 1819 (at the left), the year Fort Snelling was established; and 1893 (at the right), the year this flag was adopted. Nineteen yellow stars surround the seal on a white band; these stars symbolize that fact Minnesota was the 19th state to enter the union after the first 13. "MINNESOTA" is written in red on the white band.