On March 5, 1866, Idaho Territory adopted its first official seal, representing mountains below a new moon, a steamer on the Shoshone River, figures of Liberty and Peace, an elk's head, and agricultural produce. A similar seal, with a rising sun replacing the moon and a miner instead of Peace, was adopted for the new state on March 14, 1891, and appears today in the state flag. The 1891 state seal is the only such American design to have been created by a woman, Emma Edwards (later Emma Edwards Green). The original flag, adopted by the legislature on March 12, 1907, was conceived as a simple blue field bearing the name of the state, but Brigadier General C.A. Elmer added a representation of the seal. This conformed to the general pattern of state flags, which were based on regimental colors of the Union army during the Civil War. Elmer's design was legalized on March 15, 1927, and a standard pattern for the seal was finally adopted in March 1957.

Idaho Official name: State of Idaho. State nickname: the Gem State. Total area: 83,574 sq mi, 216,456 sq km. Population (2000): 1,293,953. Population by race, origin (1997): white non-Hispanic 90.4%; white Hispanic 6.6%; black (including Hispanic) 0.6%; American Indian/Eskimo/Aleut 1.3%; Asian/Pacific Islander 1.1%. Natural increase rate per 1,000 population (1995): 8.2 (U.S. avg. 6.0). Gross domestic (state) product (1996): U.S.$27,900,000,000 (U.S.$23,480 per capita). Land use (1992): federal land 63.0%; non-federal land 37.0%, of which forest 7.6%, cropland 10.6%, pasture 2.4%, rangeland 12.7%, urban and built-up areas 1.1%, other 2.6%. Exports by state (1997): U.S.$1,664,000,000; percent of national total 0.27%.

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