Montana

Montana adopted its state seal in 1893 and placed it on the state flag in 1905. The design was based on the flag of the First Montana infantry regiment from the Spanish-American War. In 1981, the legislature added the word “Montana” above the seal to make the flag easier to identify. The seal depicts a western landscape with a rising sun, mountains, the Great Falls of the Missouri River, forests, and plains, along with a plow, pick, and shovel representing agriculture and mining. The motto “Oro y Plata” means “Gold and Silver.”