MICHIGAN, FLAG OF

U.S. state flag consisting of a dark blue field (background) with the state coat of arms in the centre. The coat of arms, derived from the Michigan state seal, has three Latin mottoes: E pluribus unum (One out of many), Tuebor (I will defend), and Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice (If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you). The bald eagle of the United States serves as a crest, while an elk and a moose, supposedly based on the coat of arms of the Hudson's Bay Company, serve as supporters to the shield. The central design of the shield shows a man with a rifle standing on a peninsula and the sun setting over surrounding waters. The coat of arms was adopted in 1835 and has been used ever since, with only minor artistic changes. In 1837 a Michigan military company known as the Brady Guards received its colours from the state's first chief executive, Boy Governor Stevens T. Mason, who acquired his nickname by being elected at age 23. The company flag was blue with the new state seal on the obverse, a popular design among U.S. military units at the time. Michigan formally adopted blue military colours in 1865 and a state flag of the same tint in 1911. Whitney Smith History In the 17th century the Indian population of what is present-day Michigan was estimated at between 12,000 and 15,000. The majority of these Indians, including the Ottawa, Ojibwa, Miami, and Potawatomi, belonged to the Algonquian linguistic group. A lesser number, located primarily in southeastern Michigan, were Huron and Wendat (Wyandot). The Ottawa and Ojibwa aided the French in the development and expansion of the fur trade. The Ottawa, with their commercial interests, had developed a type of canoe that was highly serviceable in the Great Lakes area. The Potawatomi Indians were identified more with the culture of the woods. The Huron were the most advanced in their agricultural practices. All the Indians of the Michigan area lived in small communities and were unfamiliar with the concept of private property. Settlement tienne Brul, the first European to visit the area (1622), was the forerunner of numerous explorers, missionaries, and fur traders who paved the way for French control over Michigan. The oldest community in Michigan is Sault Sainte Marie, founded in 1668 at a site where in 1641 missionaries held services for 2,000 Ojibwa. In 1701 Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac established Detroit as a fur-trading centre and administrative post; it soon became the leading French community in the entire Great Lakes area. The French, and later the English and Americans, also maintained a fort at the Straits of Mackinac. In 1760 the French garrisons were surrendered to an English force, and in 1763, by the Treaty of Paris, England acquired jurisdiction over Canada and the French empire east of the Mississippi River except for New Orleans. Under English rule Michigan remained a part of Canada. During the American Revolution Detroit was a major supply centre for British troops, who raided the Kentucky country until 1779, when the British general Henry Hamilton was captured.