Crow Wing County Board Set To Oppose New MN Flag, Seal

CROW WING COUNTY, MN — An official government body in the state is set to formalize its opposition to the new Minnesota flag and seal.

On Tuesday, the Crow Wing County Board is expected to pass a resolution that criticizes the state's decision to redesign its two official symbols.

The resolution is a symbolic gesture only.

"I have heard a lot of displeasure," Crow Wing County Commissioner Paul Koering told the Star Tribune, remarking on the feelings of his constituents.

"It feels like we're whitewashing our history because somebody is offended by something on the flag, which I don't understand at all."

The original state flag dates back to 1858 and was designed by Amelia Hyde Center of Minneapolis.

The flag emblem depicts a pioneer plowing a field while a Native American man on horseback rides toward the sunset. Historians say symbolized the white man’s takeover of the frontier from the Native Americans.

Flag experts also say the original flag is confused with more than twenty other state flags: all blue backgrounds with a seal.