The
flag of the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...
consists of a
cobalt blue field with a variant of the state's emblem in the upper left-hand corner. The emblem contains a silver star (a reference to the state's nickname, the Silver State), below which appears the state's name. Above the star is a golden-yellow scroll with the words "Battle Born", one of the state's mottos (in reference to Nevada becoming a state during the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
). Below the star and state name are two sprays of green
sagebrush
Sagebrush is the common name of several woody and herbaceous species of plants in the genus '' Artemisia''. The best known sagebrush is the shrub '' Artemisia tridentata''. Sagebrushes are native to the North American west.
Following is an al ...
(the state flower) with yellow flowers.
History
File:Flag of Nevada (1905-1915).svg, The Nevadan state flag from 1905 to 1915
File:Flag of Nevada (1915-1929).png, The Nevadan state flag from 1915 to 1929
File:Flag of Nevada (1929-1991).svg, The Nevadan state flag from 1929 to 1991
File:Nevada_Flag_(Proposed,_1953).png, Proposed flag of 1953 that was vetoed.
The first flag of Nevada was created by Governor
John Sparks and Col. Harry Day in 1905. It was based strongly on Nevada's natural resources of gold and silver. The blue of the flag was based directly on the color of the
flag of the United States.
The current flag had its origin in a design contest announced in 1926. The winning design, by Louis Shellback III, was subjected to some revision in the
state legislature, where there was disagreement between the two houses over the placement of the word "Nevada" on the flag. A compromise was reached, and in 1929 Governor
Fred B. Balzar signed into law a bill adopting the new flag. In 1989, however, a legislative researcher discovered that the bill as sent to and signed by the governor did not accurately reflect the 1929 legislative agreement. The flag used from 1929 until it was revised in 1991 displayed the letters of the word "Nevada" in a complete circle around the flag's single star, with the "N" of Nevada at the uppermost tip of the star indicating its "northern" position in the civil war, and with each of the other letters of the word Nevada located in the spaces between the remaining points of the star, displaying near each junction of the star's pentagonal center. Thus, "Nevada" was spelt from the "N" at the top, radiating clockwise E, V, A, D, A, in the spaces between the star's points. A law enacted in 1991 directed that the word "Nevada" appear below the star and above the sagebrush sprays, thus producing the current design.
See also
*
Flags of governors of the U.S. states Sixteen U.S. states have personal flags (properly called standards) for their Governor (United States), governors, as does the Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of Puerto Rico. These flags are analogous to the standards of the Flag of t ...
*
State of Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, t ...
**
Symbols of the state of Nevada
***
Great Seal of the State of Nevada
References
External links
Nevada State Archivist's account of the history of the flag
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nevada, Flag of
United States state flags
Flag
Flags introduced in 1929
Flags of Nevada