The today's flag of South Dakota was introduced on 9th of November in 1992. It shows a plain light blue bunting and in the centre the seal of the state on a golden sun. Around the seal is a golden inscription: "South Dakota - The Mount Rushmore State". The seal dates from 1889 and shows a landscape with the Missouri River, a steamship (trade and transport), a blast furnace (mining and industry), a herd of cattle (livestock), trees (forestry) and in the foreground a farmer ploughing (agriculture). At the top of the seal is a banner with the country's motto: "Under God the People Rule". The first state flag was introduced on 1st of July in 1909 and was designed by the librarian Ida M. Anding. It featured a plain light blue bunting and on the front and a golden sun in the centre. Around the sun was a golden inscription: "South Dakota - The Sunshine State". The reverse showed the seal of the state, as today, on a sun, but in black. On 11th of March in 1963 the seal of the state was placed in the centre of the sun on both sides of the flag, and on 01st of July in 1992 the inscription around the central image was changed to the current version, from "The Sunshine State" to "The Mount Rushmore State", because Florida also bears the nickname "Sunshine State".
1738–1742 · a French expedition under Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de La Vérendrye explores the land, and later insignificant French colonization, to French-Louisiana
1763 · Peace of Paris, France has to cede the Louisiana Colony to Spain and United Kingdom, large areas (including present-day North and South Dakota) become Spanish possession
1st of October 1800 · Treaty of San Ildefonso, Spain has to cede back the Louisiana Territory to France and has to withdraw to the borders of 1763
1803 · France sells Louisiana to the USA
1804–1806 · the US-american Lewis and Clark Expedition ranges the area
26th of March 1804 · today's South Dakota is part of the Orleans Territory
7th of December 1812 · today's South Dakota is part of the Missouri Territory
1838–1846 · the areas east of the Missouri River are part of the Iowa Territory
1849–1858 · the areas east of the Missouri River are part of the Minnesota Territory
1854–1861 · the areas west of the Missouri River are part of the Nebraska Territory
2nd of March 1861 · founding of the Dakota Territory, capital is Yankton
1863 · Indian War
1872 · founding of Edwinton (today's Bismarck)
1873 · renaming of Edwinton in Bismarck, in honor of the German Chancellor
1881 · first division plans for the Dakota Territory
1883 · Bismarck is the capital of the Dakota Territory
2nd of November 1889 · South Dakota is the 40th state to join the USA, capital: Pierre
29th of December 1890 · Lakota massacre of U.S. Cavalry at Wounded Knee
The name "Dakota" comes from the vocabulary of the Sioux Indians. It described the easternmost of the three Sioux tribes in the region. The other two tribes had been the Nakota and the Lakota. Dakota means "friend" or "ally".
