For the U.S. Department of the Interior's first 68 years, the official seal depicted an eagle in varying poses over time. It was not until 1917 that the bison emblem was adopted. The seal reverted back to having an eagle from 1923 to 1929, but it has been a bison ever since--except for a brief stint in 1968-1969. This is the die for the first bison seal in 1917.