This U.S. state flag, dating back to 1909, is the Maine state seal, which features a farmer with a scythe, a sailor with an anchor, a moose under a pine tree, and a banner reading “ dirigo ...

The golden bruins emblazon the state flag and seal, live on in cartoonish effigy as university mascots, and roll off the tip of our tongue in place names like Grizzly Flats and Big Bear Lake.

California is turning 175 years old later this year. To mark the occasion, we will be looking at several aspects of the state seal, as well as the nation’s seal and those of other states.