In doing research for my upcoming book, Symbols, Signs, and Songs, due out in November, I ran across a little interesting history on Idaho’s state flag. Since it is largely the state seal centered on a blue background, one would think we would have had an Idaho state flag for as long as we’ve had a seal since 1891. Not so.
It took the Legislature 17 years to pass a law creating an Idaho State Flag. Even then they punted to the adjutant general, delegating the duty of coming up with the design and specifying that the flag would be blue and have the word Idaho on it. They appropriated 100 dollars to make that happen on March 12, 1907.
It seemed odd to me that they put 100 dollars in the adjutant general’s budget. Why would he need anything? He could just send a flag company a picture of the state seal and tell them how it was supposed to appear on flags. Voila! Make some flags!
My misunderstanding was that the 100 dollars was for the cost of making a single flag. The state wasn’t planning on waving a flag from every courthouse in Idaho. The Legislature had the adjutant general design then order one flag.
Idaho got along with a single official state flag for years. It made the headlines in 1926 that the flag was traveling out of state with Governor C.C. Moore so that both could attend the governors’ conference in Cheyenne. The stay-at-home flag had only travelled out of state a couple of times before that. It lived in the governor’s office when not visiting other states. Today that original flag is in the possession of the Idaho State Historical Society.
It took the Legislature 17 years to pass a law creating an Idaho State Flag. Even then they punted to the adjutant general, delegating the duty of coming up with the design and specifying that the flag would be blue and have the word Idaho on it. They appropriated 100 dollars to make that happen on March 12, 1907.
It seemed odd to me that they put 100 dollars in the adjutant general’s budget. Why would he need anything? He could just send a flag company a picture of the state seal and tell them how it was supposed to appear on flags. Voila! Make some flags!
My misunderstanding was that the 100 dollars was for the cost of making a single flag. The state wasn’t planning on waving a flag from every courthouse in Idaho. The Legislature had the adjutant general design then order one flag.
Idaho got along with a single official state flag for years. It made the headlines in 1926 that the flag was traveling out of state with Governor C.C. Moore so that both could attend the governors’ conference in Cheyenne. The stay-at-home flag had only travelled out of state a couple of times before that. It lived in the governor’s office when not visiting other states. Today that original flag is in the possession of the Idaho State Historical Society.
Idaho's original state flag. Image from the physical photos file at the Idaho State Archives.
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