Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1913-11-20
HISTORY OF GREAT SEAL
s STATE OF NORTH DAKOTA
Originated in Territorial Legislature,
Modified in Constitutional
Convention.

r1sai Convention.
Many of the school children, and
possibly some teachers, of North Da-
kota, are not familiar with the his
tory of the: Great Seal of the state,
which is found on public documents
and becomes part of many official
records. Curator Fish of the State
Historical society gave history Of
the origin and adoption of the great
seal of the state at the educational
association recently held in Fargo.
The history of the great, seal of the
state goes sack over half a century.
In the first session of the territorial
legislature, the House Journal for the
forty-fifth day, Wednesday, April 80,
1862, has the following:
'.Mr. Puett offered the following
resolution:
Resolved, that a committee Of
three be appointed by the chair to
confer with the committee appointed
upon the part of the council, relative
to q territorial seal. The chair ap-
pointed as such committee, -Messrs.
Waldron, Donaldson and Pinney."
: The council journal for this session
cannot be found, but it may be infer
red that the committees from both
houses were busy preparing the great
seal.
The second territorial legislature
convened Monday, Dec. /, 1852. On
the ninth day, Dec. 9, 1862, the Coun-
ell Journal records: "Mr. Shober in
|troduced council bill No. 4, an act
to establish a seal for the territory
Of Dakota. Read first and second
time and referred to the committee
on territorial affairs."s
On the tenth day, Wednesday, Dec.
10, 1862, the council bill No. 4 was
taken up and read for the third time
which resulted in Z ayes and nay.
The bill passed and the title agreed
to. "
This council bill No. 4 passed the
house Dec. 10, 1862, with no oppo-
tsitton and We i returned to the cohn-
Gil chamber the twentieth. 1t was
signed .tv the governor on Jan. 8,
1868.
The bill is as follows:
/. Section L. That the following de-
scribed seal is hereby declared to be
and is hereby constituted the great
seal of Dakota territory, to-wit: A
tree in the open field, the trunk Of
which is surrounded by bundle of
rods, bound with three bands; on the
right, plow, anvil, sledge, rake and
fork; on the left, bow crossed with
three arrows, Indian on horseback
pursuing the buffalo towards the set
ting sun, foliage of the tree arched
by half circle of thirteen stars, sur
rounded by the motto, Liberty and
Union, one and inseparable, now and
forever, the words "Great Seal'' at
the top and at the bottom Dakota
Territory" on the left March e."
and the right, 1851" Seal two
inches and a half in diameter. This
law took effect at once.
When North Dakota became a state
the constitutional convention took
up the debate on what should consti-
tute the great seal, and after delib-
Grafton whether Webster was quoted
right in Liberty and Union, one and
inseparable, now and forever" they
decided to follow the plan of the ter
ritorial council, changing it to suit
the statehood of North Dakota, hav-
ing forty-two stars instead of thir-
teen; placing three bundles of wheat
around the. trunk of the tree and
leaving off the rake and the fork.