History disappearing with old flag

To to the editor:

I was elated to read in the recent Truman Tribune Letter to the Editor that some municipalities in Minnesota have passed resolutions to keep on displaying the original Minnesota State Flag. Our original flag truly identifies our state. I taught an entire lesson on the flag when I taught Minnesota history. First of all, the state’s name is on the flag. Mn sota is Dakota for cloudy or sky-tinted water. Étoile du Nord is French for our motto, Star of the North, designating our state as the northern most in the lower 48. Symbols of the pink and white showy lady slipper and the Norway pine are shown. The 19 stars surrounding the seal symbolize that we are in the 19th state to enter after the original 13. The following dates: 1858 is statehood, 1819 is the first settlement at Fort Snelling and 1893 is the date our country adopted our state flag. Even the 97 rectangular gold bars encircling the seal represent our 87 counties and 11 Native American tribes. I could go on with even more information, but you get the idea. Our original flag is historic and identifies our state. The citizens of our state should have had a vote asking the question, “Do you want our state flag changed?” We citizens will be paying for the tens of thousands of changes where the flags fly and state seal is displayed (state vehicles, state uniforms, government buildings, historic sites, state rest stops, etc.). Finally, most stars have five points, not eight points. I encourage all municipalities in the state to pass resolutions to keep the original Minnesota flag flying. Too much of our country’s and states’ histories are disappearing.

Marilyn Carrigan

Granada, Min