The flag of the state of Utah was adopted in February 2011 and consists of the

seal of Utah The Great Seal of the State of Utah was adopted on April 3, 1896, at the first regular session of the Legislature (January, February, March, April 1896). The original seal was designed by Harry Edwards & C. M. Jackson and cost $65.00, . The great ...

encircled in a golden circle on a background of dark navy blue. It replaced a previous, albeit rather similar flag that had been in use since 1913. It is one of the state flags of the United States. Since 2018, the state legislature has been working on legislation to assess the need for a new flag and to design a new flag. A task force was created in 2021.

Symbolism

Evolution of the Utah State Flag - display at the Utah State Capitol - 6 Dec 2012

bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...

, the national bird of the United States, symbolizes protection in peace and war. The

sego lily ''Calochortus nuttallii'', also known as the sego lily, is a bulbous perennial plant that is endemic to the Western United States. It is the state flower of Utah. Distribution and habitat The plant is native to a number of western states, bei ...

, the state flower of Utah, represents peace. The state motto "Industry" and the beehive represent progress and hard work. The U.S. flags show Utah's support and commitment to the United States. The state name "Utah" appears below the beehive. The date 1847 represents the year the

Mormon pioneers The Mormon pioneers were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), also known as Latter Day Saints, who migrated beginning in the mid-1840s until the late-1860s across the United States from the Midwest to the S ...

entered the

Salt Lake Valley Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably Murray, Sandy, South Jordan, West Jordan, and West Valley City; its total po ...

, while 1896 represents the year that Utah was admitted as the 45th state to the Union. The six arrows represent the six Native American tribes that live in Utah (Shoshone, Goshute, Navajo, Paiute, Northern Utes, and White Mesa Utes). David Rindlisbach (Art Director) placed 45 stars on the flag this time to represent Utah is the 45th state to join the Union, though the current design has 46 stars (23 on each flag). Alternatively, the sego lily, a flowering plant that survives in the arid Great Basin climate, provided food to the early pioneer colony, helping the settlers survive the harsh winters after their arrival in the Salt Lake Valley. Thus it became the state flower. The eagle and flanking flags are also important symbols; Utah's is one of the few state flags to carry the American flag as part of the design. This is because the Mormon settlers were thought not to be loyal to the United States, which was one of the reasons statehood was not granted to Utah until nearly 50 years after the original settlements. It is one of eight U.S. state flags to feature an eagle, alongside those of Illinois, Iowa, Michigan,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, North Dakota, Oregon and Pennsylvania.

History

Flag of the State of Deseret

According to most descriptions, the flag of the State of Deseret was similar to the flag of the State of Utah, but as it was not standardized, multiple other secular and religious alternatives were also used.

1903 design

The flag's basic design uses the

Seal of Utah The Great Seal of the State of Utah was adopted on April 3, 1896, at the first regular session of the Legislature (January, February, March, April 1896). The original seal was designed by Harry Edwards & C. M. Jackson and cost $65.00, . The great ...

which was adopted by the state legislature on April 3, 1896. The seal was designed by artist Harry Edwards, and has similarities with the seal of the Utah Territory. The state's first flag was created in March 1903 to be used at the

Louisiana Purchase Exposition The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds tota ...

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

Heber M. Wells Heber Manning Wells (August 11, 1859March 12, 1938) was an American politician and banker who served as the first Governor of the State of Utah. Utah gained statehood on January 4, 1896; Wells served as governor from January 6, 1896, until Jan ...

, the governor of Utah, asked the Utah State Chapter of the

Daughters of the American Revolution The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in the United States' efforts towards independence. A non-profit group, they promote ...

to oversee the creation of a flag. On May 1, 1903, the governor and his delegation marched, under the new flag, in the parade of states. The flag was blue, with the state seal and the year '1896' hand-embroidered in white thread in the flag's center. Initially, this flag was known as the "Governor's Flag" until Senate Joint Resolution 17 was passed by the legislature on March 9, 1911, making it the official state flag.

1913 design

In 1912, the Sons and Daughters of Utah Pioneers ordered a custom made copy of the newly adopted flag to be presented to the recently commissioned battleship . When the flag arrived, the group discovered that the shield on the flag was in full color instead of white, and the manufacturer had added a gold ring around the shield. Rather than have the flag remade, Annie Wells Cannon introduced HJR 1 and the Utah legislature changed the law to allow the manufacturer's changes to become part of the official flag. Prior to being received by the Ship on June 25, 1913, the new flag was displayed at the

state capitol This is a list of state and territorial capitols in the United States, the building or complex of buildings from which the government of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia and the organized territories of the United States, exercise its ...

in January 1913, then in the

ZCMI Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution (typically referred to as ZCMI) was an American department store chain. It was founded in Salt Lake City, Utah, on October 9, 1868 by Brigham Young. For many years it used the slogan, "America's First De ...

windows on Main Street and at a ball held in honor of the flag.

2002 Salt Lake Tribune design contest

In 2002, ''

The Salt Lake Tribune ''The Salt Lake Tribune'' is a newspaper published in the city of Salt Lake City, Utah. The ''Tribune'' is owned by The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc., a non-profit corporation. The newspaper's motto is "Utah's Independent Voice Since 1871." History ...

'', along with the North American Vexillological Association, solicited designs for a new state flag. Over 1,000 designs were collected, with the top 35 selected for judging. However, no flags from this contest were adopted by the state.

2011 correction

During the 59th state legislative session in 2011, a Concurrent Resolution (HCR002) was adopted requiring flag makers to fix a mistake found on all current Utah state flags. The mistake originated in 1922 when a flag maker misplaced the year 1847, by stitching it just above the year 1896, instead of in its correct position on the shield. It is believed every flag made since 1922 used this flag as a model, and the mistake persisted for 89 years. Later that same 2011 session, House Bill #490 passed the legislature, making March 9 an annual Utah State Flag day.

21st century redesign attempts

In 2018, state representative Steve Handy recommended legislation to create a flag review commission to seek input from the public about whether to change the flag and make a recommendation to lawmakers. The bill came at the same time as an effort to change the

flag of Salt Lake City The flag of Salt Lake City, representing Salt Lake City, Utah, consists of two horizontal bars of blue and white with a sego lily in the canton. It was adopted in 2020 after a city-wide contest to replace a previous flag. Historical flags 196 ...

. In 2019, state representative Keven Stratton sponsored separate legislation to adopt a specific flag design. Lawmakers objected to Stratton's bill, with one comparing the design to a corporate logo. Handy amended his bill to have the commission seek designs from the public, and the bill was passed by the state House. After Handy's bill stalled in the Senate, he proposed another bill in 2020, this time keeping the current flag as a "historical flag". The Senate sponsor of the bill commissioned a set of prototype designs for lawmakers. In 2021, state senator Dan McCay sponsored a bill to create a task force to assess the need for redesigning Utah's state flag. The bill also designated an official flag to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Utah's statehood. The bill passed in the House and the Senate and was signed into law by Governor Spencer Cox. In 2022, the Utah State Flag Task Force accepted design submissions from the public. 5,703 designs were submitted, 2,500 of which were submitted by students. In September, 20 semifinalist designs were announced and Utahns were asked to submit their feedback. During the month-long comment period, 44,000 survey responses were given. On November 10, 2022, the Task Force submitted a final proposal to the Utah State Legislature for adoption as the official state flag.

Gallery

Flag_of_the_Utah_Territory.svg, Flag of the Utah Territory Flag of Utah (1903–1904).svg, Flag of Utah (1903–1904) Flag of Utah (1904–1911).svg, Flag of Utah (1904–1911) Flag of Utah (1911–1913).svg, Flag of Utah (1911–1913) Flag of Utah (1913–1922).png, Flag of Utah (1913–1922) Flag of Utah (1922–2011).svg, Flag of Utah (1922–2011) Flag of Utah.svg, Flag of Utah (2011–present)

References

External links

Utah State Flag
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flag Of Utah Utah Symbols of Utah Flags of Utah 2011 establishments in Utah Utah Utah