State Symbols

Alaska Flag and Song

The design for the Alaska flag was selected in a contest for Alaska students in grades seven through twelve in 1926. The winning design, submitted by 13-year-old Benny Benson, consisted of eight gold stars on a field of blue, representing the Big Dipper and the North Star.The Alaska Legislature adopted the design as the official flag for the Territory of Alaska on May 2, 1927. Later the drafters of the Alaska constitution stipulated that the territorial flag would become the official flag of the State of Alaska. The words to the song Alaska's Flag were written by Marie Drake, a long-time employee of the Alaska Department of Education, and first appeared as a poem in 1935. The poem was set to music composed by Elinor Dusenbury, whose husband was commander of Chilkoot Barracks at Haines from 1933-1936. The Territorial Legislature adopted Alaska's Flag as Alaska's official song in 1955.

Permission is not needed to reproduce the image of the state flag. However, The University of Alaska holds the copyright to the song. For further information, contact the University of Alaska Foundation, 910 Yukon Drive, Suite 206, PO Box 755080, Fairbanks, AK 99775.

phone: 907.450.8030fax: 907.450.8031Email: sdfnd@alaska.edu

State Motto

The official motto of the State of Alaska, North to the Future, was adopted by the legislature during Alaska's Purchase Centennial in 1967. Created by veteran newsman Richard Peter, the motto is meant to represent Alaska as a country of promise. According to Peter, the motto "...is a reminder that beyond the horizon of urban clutter there is a Great Land beneath our flag that can provide a new tomorrow for this century's 'huddled masses yearning to be free.' "

The Seal of the State of Alaska

When Congress provided for civil government for Alaska in 1884, the first governor designed, and had made, a seal for the District of Alaska. The seal was used until 1910 when Governor Walter E. Clark decided the design placed too much emphasis on icebergs, northern lights and Native people. The governor had a draftsman in Juneau sketch a new seal that incorporated the original features, plus symbols for mining, agriculture, fisheries, fur seal rookeries, and a railroad.The design was approved by the acting attorney general of the United States. A more refined drawing was made by an unknown person in the Department of the Interior, and the new seal was ready for use early in 1911. When Alaska changed from district to territorial status in 1912, the new designation was substituted on the seal.The Constitution of the State of Alaska provides that the territorial seal shall be the seal for the State of Alaska, with the word "territory" changed to that of "state." The seal is 2 1/8 inches in diameter.

The seal of the State of Alaska may be used only with the permission of the Lt. Governor.

Other State Symbols

• The State Bird, the Willow Ptarmigan, was adopted by the Territorial Legislature in 1955. It is a small (15-17 inches), arctic grouse that lives among willows and on open tundra and muskeg. Plumage is brown in summer, changing to white in winter. The Willow Ptarmigan is common in much of Alaska.
• The State Fish - King Salmon (adopted by the Alaska Legislature in 1962)
• The State Flower, the wild Forget-Me-Not, was adopted by the Territorial Legislature in 1917. It is a perennial that is found throughout Alaska, from Hyder to the Arctic Coast, and west to the Aleutians.
• The State Fossil - Woolly Mammoth (adopted by the Alaska Legislature in 1986)
• The State Gem - Jade (adopted by the Alaska Legislature in 1968)
• The State Insect - Four-spot skimmer dragonfly (adopted by the Alaska Legistlature in 1995)
• The State Land Mammal - Moose (adopted by the Alaska Legislature in 1998)
• The State Marine Mammal - Bowhead Whale (adopted by the Alaska Legislature in 1983)
• The State Mineral - Gold (adopted by the Alaska Legislature on 1968)
• The State Sport - Dog mushing (adopted by the Alaska Legislature in 1972)
• The State Tree - Sitka spruce (adopted by the Alaska Legislature in 1962)