It is likely that the original seal, which is similar to the current one, was created by William Henry Harrison during his administration of the Indiana Territory.

[3] An American Civil War era Indiana 13th infantry regiment battle flag also utilizes the state seal in its design.

The original seal was maintained by Governor Arthur St. Clair and the first recorded use was in a proclamation made on July 26, 1788.

[5] On May 10, 1800, the Indiana Territory was created by an act of Congress, but no provision for an official seal was included in the measure.

The earliest recorded use of Indiana Territory's seal was on court documents that were signed by Governor William Henry Harrison in January 1801.

The bill was put through a joint conference of both houses of the General Assembly and funds where voted to purchase a printer to create the seal.

After several weeks of debate in the state legislature, Harrison was forced to return the seal to Jennings and vacate the office of the governor.

[7] During 1895, Robert S. Hatcher, the reading clerk of the Indiana Senate, was directed to ascertain the legal status of the design of the state seal.

Jacob Piatt Dunn, the preeminent Indiana historian of the time, consulted several history and arrived at the conclusion that the sun was rising.

During the meeting of the General Assembly, Representative Taylor I. Morris introduced legislation to standardize the design of the state seal.

His bill described a seal that depicts a woodsman chopping a sycamore tree, while an American Bison runs in the foreground and the sun sets in the background.

There are two (2) sycamore trees on the right, the larger one being nearer the center and having a notch cut nearly half way through, from the left side, a short distance above the ground.