Seal of South Dakota of Fort Pierre and shall be the basis for all reproductions of the great seal of the State of South Dakota. The South Dakota Secretary of State is the designated custodian of the South Dakota State Seal. Seal of South Dakota The Great Seal of the State of South Dakota was designed while the area was a territory, in 1885. The outer ring of the seal contains the text "State of South Dakota" on the top and "Great Seal" on the bottom. Also the year of statehood, 1889. Inside the inner circle of the seal contains the state motto "Under
South Dakota State Guard most of the region and supplied the FPF with its equipment. The State Guard was disbanded in 1948. The South Dakota State Guard was reactivated during the Korean War from the years 1954 to 1956. The authority of each state to maintain a state defense force is recognized by the federal government under Title 32, Section 109 of the United States Code. Under this legislation, twenty-three other states and the territory of Puerto Rico currently maintain state defense forces. The South Dakota State Guard Act grants the Governor of South Dakota the authority to organize the South Dakota State Guard