The state flag of Alaska displays eight gold stars, forming the Big Dipper and

Polaris Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude that ...

, on a dark blue field. The Big Dipper is an asterism in the constellation Ursa Major which symbolizes a

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

, an animal indigenous to Alaska. As depicted on the flag, its stars can be used as a guide by the novice to locate

and determine true north, which varies considerably from magnetic north. The design was created by

Benny Benson John Ben "Benny" Benson Jr. (September 12, 1912 – July 2, 1972) was an Alaska native, best known for designing the flag of Alaska. Benson was age 14 years old when he won a contest in 1927 to design the flag for the Territory of Alaska ...

of Seward and selected from among roughly 700 entries in a 1927 contest. In 2001, a survey conducted by the North American Vexillological Association placed Alaska's flag fifth best in design quality out of the 72 Canadian provincial, U.S. state, and

U.S. territory In the United States, a territory is any extent of region under the sovereign jurisdiction of the federal government of the United States, including all waters (around islands or continental tracts). The United States asserts sovereign rights for ...

flags ranked. It finished behind the flags of New Mexico, Texas, Quebec, and Maryland respectively.

Design and origin

Thirty-two years before Alaska became a state, the Alaska Department of the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

sponsored a territorial contest for Alaskan children from seventh grade (age 12–13) to twelfth grade (age 17–18) to design a flag for the territory. In 1927, the contest committee chose fourteen year-old orphan

's design to represent the future flag of the Territory of Alaska. Benson, an

Alaska Native Alaska Natives (also known as Alaskan Natives, Native Alaskans, Indigenous Alaskans, Aboriginal Alaskans or First Alaskans) are the indigenous peoples of Alaska and include Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and a numbe ...

, was a resident at the Jesse Lee Home for Children in Seward. Until that time, Alaskans had flown only the

U.S. flag The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the c ...

since the territory's purchase from Russia in 1867. Benson's design was chosen over roughly 700 other submissions from schoolchildren territory-wide. Most other entries featured variations on the territorial seal, the midnight sun, the northern lights, polar bears, and/or gold pans. To celebrate his achievement, Benson was awarded

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

1,000 and an engraved watch. Flag of Alaska (Benny Benson Original Design)

Benny looked to the sky for the symbols he included in his design. Choosing the familiar constellation he looked for every night before going to sleep at the orphanage, he submitted this description with it:

History

Russian-American Company Flag

Between 1799 and 1867 Alaska was governed by the Russian-American Company (RAC), a state-sponsored commercial company initially headquartered in Irkutsk, then St. Petersburg, Russia. The flag flown by the Company's ships and their shore establishments was Russia's commercial flag (civil ensign). On September 28 (October 10, new style) 1806, Aleksandr I, Emperor of Russia made a notation on the design submitted to him of a new flag for the Russian-American Company; "So be it", and added his

cypher Cypher is an alternative spelling for cipher. Cypher may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * Cypher (French Group), a Goa trance music group * Cypher (band), an Australian instrumental band * Cypher (film), ''Cypher'' (film), a 2002 film * C ...

, thereby approving the first flag in Russia's history to be used by an Imperial chartered company. After Imperial confirmation, the ukase was heard in the Senate and on 19 October 1806 was sent for execution to the main office of the Russian-American Company (RAC), and also to the Admiralty and Commerce colleges. The new Company flag design of 1806 placed the Imperial eagle in the upper left quarter of Russia's commercial flag. In order that the State symbol remain unobstructed and more visible the width of the white stripe was enlarged to cover roughly one half of the flag's width. The normal width proportions of Russia's commercial flag were equal thirds. The Imperial eagle carried a scroll which dipped into the blue stripe, also for more visibility, which read, in abbreviated form "Russian American Company's". The symbolism of the scroll beneath the Imperial eagle complements the official version of the Company's name "Under His Imperial Majesty's Protection Russian-American Company."Бытъ По Сему – So be it: 200 years of the history and interpretation of "The flag granted by his Imperial Highness" The flag of the Russian-American Company. By John Middleton, September 2006. Fort Ross Conservancy web site
/ref> The flag flew over Alaska until October 18, 1867, when all Russian and American Company holdings in Alaska were sold to the United States.

State Flag

The Alaska Legislature adopted Benson's design as the official flag for the Territory of Alaska on May 2, 1927. The first flag made based on Benny's design was made of blue silk and appliquéd gold stars. It was retained as the state flag at

Statehood A state is a centralized political organization that imposes and enforces rules over a population within a territory. There is no undisputed definition of a state. One widely used definition comes from the German sociologist Max Weber: a "sta ...

in 1959. The flag's symbolism is described in the state song, "

Alaska's Flag ''Alaska's Flag'', officially known as ''Beyond Your Dreams Within Your Reach'', is the state song of Alaska. Lyrics Unique among state songs, its lyrics explain the symbolism of the Alaskan flag. The lyrics are: Eight stars of gold on a fi ...

Historical Flags

{, class="sortable wikitable" , - ! class="unsortable" , Allegiance ! class="unsortable" , Governing Body ! class="unsortable" , Design(s) ! class="unsortable" , Dates in Use , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , Claimed by Russian Empire , , N/A, , Flag of Russia

, , {{Dts, July 15, 1741 – July 8, 1799 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , rowspan="3" , Russian Empire , , rowspan="3" , Russian-American Company , Flag of Russia

, , {{Dts, 1799, 07, 8 – October 10, 1806 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , Flag of the Russian-American Company

, , {{Dts, 1806, 10, 10 – October 18, 1867 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , Flag of the Russian Empire (black-yellow-white)

, , {{Dts, 1858, 06, 11 – October 18, 1867 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , rowspan="9" , United States of America , , rowspan="2" , The

Department of Alaska Department of Alaska was the designation for the government of Alaska from its purchase by the United States of America in 1867 until its organization as the District of Alaska in 1884. During the department era, Alaska was variously under ...

(United States Army) , , Flag of the United States (1867-1877)

, , {{Dts, 1867, 10, 18 – July 3, 1877 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , Flag of the United States (1877–1890)

, , {{Dts, 1877, 07, 4 – July 3, 1890 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , rowspan="4" , District of Alaska, , Flag of the United States (1890-1891)

, , {{Dts, 1890, 07, 4 – July 3, 1891 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , Flag of the United States (1891–1896)

, , {{Dts, 1891, 07, 4 – July 3, 1896 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , Flag of the United States (1896–1908)

, , {{Dts, 1896, 07, 4 – July 3, 1908 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , Flag of the United States (1908–1912)

, , {{Dts, 1908, 07, 4 – July 3, 1912 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , rowspan="2" , Territory of Alaska , , Flag of the United States (1912–1959)

, , {{Dts, 1912, 07, 4 – July 9, 1927 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , Flag of Alaska

, , {{Dts, 1927, 07, 9 – January 3, 1959 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , State of Alaska , Flag of Alaska

, , {{Dts, 1959, 01, 3 – present

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

Catalog of the "Eight Stars" exhibit
at the Alaska State Museum (PDF) {{US state flags {{Alaska {{DEFAULTSORT:Flag Of Alaska Alaska Symbols of Alaska Alaska Alaska Alaska