State Flag of Wisconsin TB02

Please drop this item in rural OR Premium Member Only caches.  Do not place it in an urban cache or abandon it at a caching event.  Transport the bug in the original plastic bag for as long as the bag lasts; the bag keeps the trackable clean and prevents tangling with other items.  Otherwise, take the travel bug anywhere you wish.  No permission is needed to leave the U.S.

Travel bug photos in the logs are appreciated.  I will re-post them here, where they can be seen by other cachers.

Patch of the State Flag of Wisconsin. During America's Civil War, Wisconsin troops were requesting a flag to carry, but the state didn't have one. Subsequently, the legislature formed a committee, and charged them with the development of "a proper state flag." That action resulted in the adoption of Wisconsin's official flag in 1863. In 1913, the flag was changed, specifying a dark blue background with the state coat of arms centered. The great seal of Wisconsin, created in 1851, features the state coat of arms. The banner above the shield has Wisconsin's state motto: "Forward." Directly below this is a badger (the state animal). Supporting the shield are a sailor and a miner (the two most important industries of the state at the time it was founded). On the shield itself are displayed a plough to represent the farmers and agriculture of Wisconsin, a pick and shovel as a symbol of the early lead mining industry, galena ore (lead sulfide) is the state mineral of Wisconsin, an arm and hammer to represent Wisconsin's artisans and laborers, an anchor as a symbol for the sailing and shipping industry. The center of the shield is the United States shield with the motto E Pluribus Unum. Below the shield are a cornucopia (a symbol for the plenty of the state), bars of lead to represent Wisconsin's mineral wealth, and 13 stars which symbolize the thirteen original states. The coat of arms also appears on both sides of the Wisconsin state flag. The flag remained unchanged until 1980, when the legislature was asked to change the flag so it would appear more distinctive, and be easier to recognize. They added the word "Wisconsin" and the statehood date in "1848" in white letters, centered below the coat of arms.