Who are the two men on the Wisconsin flag?

They are a sailor and a miner, shown on either side of the shield. They stand for labor on the water and labor on the land.

What do the symbols on the Wisconsin flag mean?

The plow, pick and shovel, arm and hammer, and anchor stand for agriculture, mining, manufacturing and navigation. The badger is the state animal, and Forward is the state motto.

Did Wisconsin change its state flag?

Yes. The design based on the coat of arms dates to 1863 and was made official in 1913. A 1981 version added the word Wisconsin and the year 1848.

What is the motto on the Wisconsin flag?

The motto is Forward . A smaller E Pluribus Unum appears on the shield.

What is a nickname for Wisconsin?

Wisconsin is called the Badger State, a name linked to the early lead miners and now to the badger shown on the flag.

Wisconsin Flag: Coat of Arms, Meaning & History

The Wisconsin flag is a dark blue field with the state coat of arms in the center. A sailor and a miner flank the shield, a badger sits above it, and the motto "Forward" runs on a banner. The name and the year 1848 appear in white.

What the Wisconsin flag looks like

The state flag of Wisconsin is dark blue with the coat of arms in the middle. The shield is divided into four sections with tools: a plow for farming, a pick and shovel for mining, an arm holding a hammer for manufacturing, and an anchor for shipping. A small U.S. shield in the center carries the motto E Pluribus Unum.

A sailor and a miner stand on either side of the shield. Above it is a badger, the state animal, and a banner with the word Forward. At the base are a cornucopia and a pile of lead ingots. The word Wisconsin is written above the arms and 1848 below, both in white letters.

Wisconsin flag meaning and symbolism

The symbols present the work of the people who built the state. The plow, the pick, the hammer and the anchor stand for farming, mining, industry and navigation on the Great Lakes. The sailor and the miner, the two figures people often ask about, represent labor on water and labor on land. The cornucopia is a sign of plenty, and the lead ingots recall the early mining in the south-west of the state.

The badger on top is the state animal and the origin of the nickname Badger State, which came from lead miners who dug shelters into hillsides. The motto Forward expresses progress. The shield's central motto E Pluribus Unum ties the state to the United States.

History of the Wisconsin flag

Wisconsin became the 30th state in 1848, which is the year shown on the flag. The first Wisconsin flag was made in 1863 for the state's regiments in the Civil War, using the coat of arms on a blue field. The legislature made a state flag official in 1913.

The coat of arms was revised several times in the following decades. In 1979 the legislature voted to add the name and the year of statehood, and the flag in its current form took effect in 1981. These additions were meant to make the flag easier to identify, because many state flags are dark blue with a seal. For comparison, see other U.S. state flags.