The Great Seal of Iowa: Iowa Time Machine November 22, 1838

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On November 22, 1838, the Council of the First Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Iowa requested the Secretary of the Territory submit “the Great Seal of this Territory, with its impression, for inspection.” The submitted seal remained in use until statehood, when the legislature adopted the current Great Seal of the State of Iowa.

The original territorial seal featured an eagle to represent “the proud and appropriate emblem of our national power.” Other symbols meant to represent the decline of Iowa’s Indigenous peoples, including a bow and arrow, were meant “to admonish us of the immense importance of improving the inheritance” gained by Iowa’s American settlers.

Upon statehood in 1846, an update to the seal celebrating it was submitted to the Iowa General Assembly for approval. On February 25, 1847, the Iowa General Assembly adopted a seal featuring representations of Iowa values and industry, including a citizen-soldier standing in a wheat field under an eagle holding the standard bearing the state motto.

With the Mighty Mississippi River in the background, the soldier finds himself surrounded by representations of early Iowa relics, including a lead ‘pig,’ a Phrygian ‘liberty’ cap, the steamboat ‘Iowa,’ and agricultural implements, including a plow and a scythe. Although variations have occurred over time, the Great Seal of Iowa still holds the same representations of early Iowa in the modern era. #Iowa #OTD #History #Founding #Seal