As is the case with all other states in the United States, Montana has a state seal or emblem. There are a number and facts and features associated with the Montana state seal of emblem that residents and visitors to the state might find interesting. Montana was admitted to the Union on November 8, 1889.
 

History of the Montana State Seal

The Montana state seal traces its origins back to 1893. The state seal or emblem has not been altered since that time. With that noted, since it was originally created, the Montana state seal has been utilized in a number of different ways.
 

The Specific Components of the Montana State Seal

The Legislature of the state determined how the Montana state seal or emblem is to appear. According to the law, the Montana state seal is to depict mountains, plains, and forests. In addition, the Montana state seal is to include the Great Falls of the Missouri River.

Added to these images, the Montana state seal is to include a plow, pick, and shovel. These items on the state seal or emblem as intended to represent industry in Montana.

The final element of the Montana state seal is the state motto, emblazoned on a ribbon. The Montana state motto is "Oro y Plata," or gold and silver. This was adopted as the motto for the state in honor of Montana's mining history. The circumference of the Montana seal is encircled with the words "the great seal of the state of Montana."

The state motto predates the state seal by about 30 years. The state motto came into being, and has remained unchanged, since 1865. The motto actually was utilized when Montana was still a territory and before its admission to the Union.
 

The Montana State Seal and the Montana State Flag

Beginning in 1905, the Montana state seal was incorporated into the Montana state flag. Once again, the Montana Legislature enacted legislation, which was approved by the Governor, that resulted in the inclusion of the Montana state emblem into the state flag.

The state flag itself has a simple design. The flag features the Montana seal in the middle of a field of blue.

There has only been one alteration to the Montana state flag since it was first unfurled in 1905. In 1981, the "Montana" was added, in all capital letters, at the top of the flag. 
 

Uses for the Great Seal of the State of Montana

In addition to being incorporated into the state flag, the Montana state seal has seen other uses as well. For example, historically, the state seal was placed on official documents. This has become somewhat less common today, and will continue to be so as we move further into the digital age. 

The Montana state seal can be seen throughout government buildings. This includes the state capitol building. 

The Montana state seal can be found on souvenir items. These include such things as coffee cups and glasses, items of apparel, and other items. 
 

Other Symbols of the State of Montana

As is the case with many states across the United States, through the years, Montana has adopted a variety of other state symbols, in addition to the state seal and state flag. For example, the Montana state animal is the grizzly bear and the state bird is the western meadowlark. 

Montana has three different types of "state songs." The official state song of Montana is aptly entitled "Montana." The state lullaby is "Montana Lullaby." Finally, the state ballad is "Montana Melody."

The Montana state tree is the ponderosa pine. The state grass is bluebunch wheatgrass. In the animal actor, the Montana state fish is the black spotted cutthroat trout. 

The state Montana actually has two celebrated gemstones. The Montana gemstones are sapphire and agate. 

The Montana state flower dates back to the early years of the state. It is the bitterroot. 

The most recent addition to the pantheon of Montana state symbols is the state butterfly. The Montana state butterfly is the mourning cloak.

Interestingly, Montana has even gone so far as to designate a state fossil. The Montana state fossil is the duck billed dinosaur. 

The various symbols of Montana, including the Montana state seal, can only be changed through legislation passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor. Similarly, the only way in which additional symbols can be added to the list is through a resolution passed by the Legislature and signed by the Governor. Citizens are free to make recommendations to their state elected officials.
 
 
Jessica Kane is a writer for 777Sign, a leading provider of wholesale advertising flags, banners, tablecloths, and more. 
 

In my dream, I suddenly realize it’s almost the holiday season. Do I have enough jewelry ordered for the store? I remember placing a couple orders — did that product ever arrive? How is the store doing? When was I last there? Who is running it? How are we paying for everything?

It’s a dream that has occurred in one form or another for almost twenty years. 

At one point I tried to intervene, to tell myself to let it go. Now, mostly, it’s sweet that somewhere in some parallel reality Accents West, the store I birthed and raised in Bozeman’s Downtown, is still in business. Sort of.

When I dream, she’s always in the same location, the same landlord I had when I closed the doors, though I don’t dream of him out of fondness. But it’s not the literal Downtown Bozeman, not the same literal location. There’s always a huge back room filled with antiques, and file cabinets of paperwork I haven’t delved in to for . . . decades. Generally, I don’t go in the backroom but there was a series of dreams where that was my primary destination.  Even so, I may have opened a file drawer to check what orders had been placed, wondering if the merchandise had ever arrived, but never checked the paper involving the rest of the intricacies of running a retail business. 

There is no computer.       

The front of the store is both familiar and completely different than when Accents still thrived. Mostly, some of the display cases are the same. I loved those antique cases. 

Funny what stays with you in the long run.

There are still racks of clothing.In some dream of the recent past, I quick zip over to Billings apparel show to try to beef up the collection, but never “re-dreamed” to see if those orders arrived. And I don’t actually even know if there is still a Billings apparel show. 

In so many ways Accents West was a daughter, a bit older than my human one, a daughter who died of a terminal illness I could not mitigate or heal. 

I generally think of that illness as a cancer. It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that she lives on for me in the dreamtime. I always thank the mysterious former staff-members who work there, keeping her alive. I am not there enough for it to be my effort sustaining her. 

She lives on for me in the physical too. I don’t shop very much. Downtown Bozeman is nothing like what it used to be. Those who don’t know what that was, don’t miss it. But sometimes I am reminded how vibrant and fun it was, before landlords ratcheted rent and the character of the community profoundly changed.

My daughter and I were just in Helena and stayed a couple nights at a motel right on Last Chance Gulch. The experience kicked in my retail mind. I notice the fine details in business. I can’t help it. When we checked in, the motel gave us a laundry basket with two dog dishes; a leash with attached doggie-poo pick up bags; dog biscuits and a laminated, Here’s the guidelines for staying here with your critter. I was startled and impressed. Yes, we were to return it all when we left but for the duration, we felt welcome in a way so out of the norm with dog-friendly motels where we’ve stayed in the past. 

There’s a large difference between tolerating customers with dogs and welcoming them.

On the Gulch itself, so much remains familiar. I used to sell my Plenty Quill porcupine quill jewelry at General Mercantile. Even then — thirty years back? — General Merc had espresso, one of the few places in Montana that did and that cared how it tasted. My ex- Frank — and I loved coffee so that formed a bond with the place outside of the fact that they also purchased my craftswork. 

The store essentially looks the same inside. Funky as heck and crammed with personality. Long lines of locals waited for their coffee drinks. There’s not a better testimonial for where to buy. Two nearby coffee houses were nearly empty. I tried coffee at one and immediately understood why.

A few doors down from General Merc is the No Sweat Cafe. I couldn’t believe it’s still in business. Thirty years and counting. Familiar menu. Familiar decor. Yum food. A son and daughter have taken over running the place. I took pictures of it for my ex. 

I had good memories of these places and now have additional ones.

There are plenty of bootstrap businesses alive on Last Chance Gulch. Businesses where someone was able to bring their creative vision alive without a huge investment. I am not going to get into the economics of what has happened to Downtown Bozeman. Will just say, that with a couple exceptions, that type of business is excluded, priced out. I am sure there are creative businesses in Bozeman but there’s such an advantage to having them grouped where it’s simple to find several within a few blocks of each other. 

We had fun. Actually shopped. Bought a few things. 

I rarely think shopping is fun.

On the downside, I browsed a gallery with two salespeople. I looked around for five to ten minutes and neither one ever acknowledged me. One was busy trying to make a sale to the only other customer. The other hovered behind the front counter and never even looked my way. Or, if she did. I didn’t notice. 

Retail never could afford to ignore customers. With so much online competition, that is truer now than ever. 

If there is a point to this piece, aside from personal meanderings in the world of retail, both physical and dreamtime, it is this: your local Montana retailers need you this holiday season. What makes a downtown remarkable is the character of its tenants, the diversity of them. And, for that to survive, you have to care, to show up. Yes, some merchants will drop the ball and ignore you. But still, it’s a kinesthetic and human experience you can’t get online. 

Shop local. 

Or stop by my store in the dreamtime, and thank the person behind the counter whoever they may be for keeping Accents West alive. Maybe I’ll see you there!

Jenna Caplette migrated from California to Montana in the early 1970s, first living on the Crow Indian reservation. A Healing Arts Practitioner, she owns Bozeman BodyTalk & Integrative Healthcare. For relaxation, she reads novels and walks the trails around Bozeman with her four legged companion. Oh, and sometimes she manages to sit down and write.