Seal of Wisconsin
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The Secretary of State is the keeper of Wisconsin's great seal.
The Wisconsin State Seal contains the coat of arms of the State.
- Forward, the state motto, at its top
- A badger, the state animal, immediately beneath this
- The supporters are a sailor and a yeoman; while the latter, "resting on a pick," is so described, he is (arguably incorrectly, but for the reason of the pick) shown as a miner. Two of the most economically important industries/professions at the time of the state's founding in 1848 were sailing and mining. Farming did not come until much later - the Southeast Wisconsin area not being a hub of farming until after the mass immigration of the early 20th century
- Inside the State Shield:
- A plough, representing the farmers of Wisconsin
- A pick and shovel, as per Wisconsin's important coal and iron mining industry at the time of its founding
- An arm and hammer representing artisans and laborers
- An anchor, again representing the shipping industry
- At its center the U.S. shield including the motto E Pluribus Unum
- A cornucopia representing the plenty of the state
- Bars of lead, representing mineral wealth and the 13 original United States.
The State Seal emphasises mining and shipping. At the time of Wisconsin's founding in 1848 the mining of coal and iron was a huge industry that ended by the early 20th century due to the metals being mined out, although there are still substantial untapped iron reserves in Northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula currently guarded by Native American reservations, National Parks, and remoteness (i.e., isolation).
The State was also a particularly important shipping region as the primary link from the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Mississippi River via Portage, Wisconsin. This was quickly phased out thanks to railways in the late 19th century.
Wisconsin's wood and paper industry (particularly, the Fox River Valley area) did not begin until raillines phased out the importance of Wisconsin's access to the Mississippi, leaving the US Army Corps of Engineer dams, built in the 1850s, available to float logs down the Fox River to the Oshkosh paper industry.
Wisconsin's farming industry did not become so prevalent until German settlers arrived during the early 20th century. Indeed, German was the first language of more Wisconsin residents than English preceding World War II! Even today, German is the most popular second language of Wisconsin residents (not Spanish, which is the most common first language besides English, in Wisconsin).
The Wisconsin State Seal is displayed in all courtrooms in Wisconsin, and in the case of county circuit courts often alongside the county seal. It is also the centerpiece of the state flag, which is basically the State Seal on a blue background.
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