Seal of Utah Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Great Seal of the State of Utah

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Coat of arms

Armiger	State of Utah
Adopted	April 3, 1896
Motto	Industry

The Great Seal of the State of Utah is an important symbol for the state. It was officially chosen on April 3, 1896. This happened during the very first meeting of the Utah State lawmakers. The original design for the seal was created by Harry Edwards and C. M. Jackson.

The Great Seal of Utah is round, measuring two and a half inches across. It features a shield in the middle. An American eagle with its wings spread sits on top of the shield. Six arrows cross each other at the top of the shield. Below the arrows, you can read the word "INDUSTRY," which is Utah's state motto.

Underneath the motto, there is a beehive, which is a symbol of hard work. On each side of the beehive, you'll see growing sego lilies. Below these symbols, the numbers "1847" are shown. On either side of the shield, there is an American Flag. Around the outer edge of the seal, starting from the bottom left, are the words "THE GREAT SEAL OF THE STATE OF UTAH." The numbers "1896" are placed at the very bottom of the seal.

What does the Utah State Seal mean?
The Governor's Official Seal
How the Utah Flag and Seal Were Updated
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What does the Utah State Seal mean?

The symbols on the Great Seal of Utah each have a special meaning. They tell a story about the state's history and values.

Symbol	Meaning
American eagle	Represents the United States as a nation
Shield	Stands for protection and defense
Industry	This is Utah's state motto, meaning hard work
Beehive	A symbol of cooperation and community
1896	The year Utah officially became a state
1847	The year the first pioneers arrived in Utah
Sego Lily	Utah's official state flower
American flags	Shows Utah is part of the United States

The Governor's Official Seal

Utah also has a special seal for its governor of Utah. This seal uses many of the same symbols as the state seal. However, it adds Roman numerals at the bottom. These numbers change with each new governor. This means every governor has a unique seal for their time in office.

Currently, the Roman numerals are "XVIII." This stands for Spencer Cox, who is the 18th governor of Utah since it became a state. Ronald L. Fox designed this seal in 1992. He based it on the California Governor's Seal.

How the Utah Flag and Seal Were Updated

An artist at the Colonial Flag Company helped create the artwork for the updated Utah State flag. This flag was designed to match the legal description of the state flag. It also used the colors from a flag made in 1912 for the USS Utah (BB-31). Even though the law didn't list colors for the flag, other state documents did. Utah officials wanted those colors to be used.

When flags have seals or coats of arms, artists can sometimes interpret the design a little differently. Paul Swenson, who paid for the first flag design, thought the eagle looked weak. He asked graphic artist Perry Van Schelt to make the eagle design stronger. Perry followed the same description and colors.

Experts like John Hartvigsen, David Rindlisbach, and Ronald L. Fox advised on the project. Fox suggested that the two U.S. Flags on the seal should have 45 stars each. This is because Utah was the 45th state to join the United States. Both the first design and the stronger, "enhanced" design are correct. They both follow the law from 2011. Most flags sold today use the enhanced design, but flag makers can still use either version.