U.S. #4321
Flags of Our Nation
Issue Date: August 11, 2011
City: Columbus, Ohio
Printed By: Sennett Security Products
Printing Method: Photogravure
Flags of Our Nation, Set V: The Flags of Our Nation stamps issued in 2011 is the fifth group of the series. The stamps show historic state flags, as well as a “snapshot” image that shares some of each state’s character.
South Dakota is so proud of its national memorial that it added its name to the state flag. Mount Rushmore, which has over two million visitors each year, gave this Midwestern state its nickname. In 1992, “The Mount Rushmore State” replaced “The Sunshine State” as the nickname beneath the central design.
The great seal of the state is prominently displayed on the flag. The people of South Dakota adopted their seal, which pictures its land and industry, before they officially became a state. A farmer working the land is pictured in the foreground. Behind him, a steamship travels on the Missouri River. The smelting furnace across the river is a tribute to the mining industry which helped establish the state when gold was found in the state’s Black Hills in 1874. South Dakota’s motto, “Under God the People Rule,” appears above the landscape on the seal.
Around the seal, gold triangles represent the sunshine, which helps make the farmlands and prairies covering most of the state so productive.
South Dakota’s flag is a fitting tribute to the nature and commerce that make up the character of this least densely populated of all states.