Alaska State Seal

Great Seal of the State of State Alaska

Adopted in 1884; 1912.

The Alaska Seal was adopted in its present form in 1912.

In 1867, Russia sold Alaska to the United States, and for nearly fifty years the region was known as the District of Alaska. While Alaska was still a district, the first governor designated a seal of the district. This seal featured icebergs, northern lights, igloos and an Eskimo ice fishing.

When Congress provided for civil government for Alaska in 1884, the first governor designed, and had made, a seal for the District of Alaska. The seal was used until 1910 when Governor Walter E. Clark decided the design placed too much emphasis on icebergs, northern lights and Native people. The governor had a draftsman in Juneau sketch a new seal that incorporated the original features, plus symbols for mining, agriculture, fisheries, fur seal rookeries, and a railroad.

In 1910, this seal was replaced with a design more representative of the state's industrial and natural wealth. Today, this seal, created by an "unnamed draftsman," is the state seal of Alaska. The rays above the mountains represent the famous Alaskan northern lights. The smelter symbolizes mining, the train stands for Alaska's railroads, and ships denote transportation by sea. The trees pictured in the seal symbolize Alaska's wealth of timber, and the farmer, his horse, and the three shocks of wheat stand for Alaskan agriculture. The fish and the seals signify the importance of fishing and seal rookeries to Alaska's economy. The state seal of Alaska is a fine representation of the vast wealth of the forty-ninth state.

The design was approved by the acting attorney general of the United States. A more refined drawing was made by an unknown person in the Department of the Interior, and the new seal was ready for use early in 1911. When Alaska changed from district to territorial status in 1912, the new designation was substituted on the seal.

The Constitution of the State of Alaska provides that the territorial seal shall be the seal for the State of Alaska, with the word "territory" changed to that of "state." The seal is 2 1/8 inches in diameter.

The seal of the State of Alaska may be used only with the permission of the Lt. Governor.