Oklahoma Journeys
Week of March 29, 2009
New Oklahoma Flag Raised for the First Time, April 2, 1925
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Running it up the flagpole this week on Oklahoma Journeys. A flag is a special thing for most people. Flags usually represent a state or country of origin and traditionally are some of the most defended and protected of the various national symbols. Oklahoma’s flag wasn’t always what it appears to be, and that’s the topic of this week’s Oklahoma Journeys from the Oklahoma History Center.
From the Oklahoma History Center, this is Oklahoma Journeys. I’m Michael Dean.
For many Oklahomans, thinking about our state’s flag isn’t something that occupies a lot of our time. Most of us know that it’s blue and has some Native American items in the middle, and that’s probably about it. Not so many people know the story of how our flag came to be or are aware that at one time Oklahoma had a completely different flag altogether. You might think that designing an official flag might be one of the first orders of business for a new state but not so for Oklahoma. For almost four years Oklahoma was without a flag, flying only the U.S. flag above our state’s government buildings. In 1911 the legislature adopted the official state flag, and you would think that after having four years to think about the design, that it would be something really special but such was not the case.
The first state flag to fly over Oklahoma invoked the national colors red, white, and blue. The field was solid red with a single blue edged white star in the middle. In the center of the star was the number 46 representing Oklahoma’s place as the 46th state. That was the result of four years of waiting, a white star on a red background. Several things happened to inspire a new flag design. The first design just simply looked too simple and plain and with the number 46 on it, a bit too obvious, and secondly, the prominent red color and star combination hinted a bit too strongly, many believed, at Oklahoma’s one time strong connection to the Socialist Party. Regardless of the reasons behind it, in 1924 a contest was announced to come up with a new design.
It was Mrs. George Fluke of Oklahoma City who submitted the winning design, one more in keeping with the image of the state. The new design featured a field of blue with the middle occupied by the shield of an Osage warrior. Emblazoned on the shield are white crosses, the Native American symbol for stars which represent high ideals. Lying diagonally across the shield are the two symbols of peace, a Native American calumet or peace pipe and an olive branch. It was in this week of 1925 that the new design became the official flag of Oklahoma and made its first appearance outside the state capital. The new design met with overwhelming approval of state residents but in 1941 the flag was altered once again, this time by adding the name Oklahoma across the bottom in large white letters. That was a move that did not meet with great approval but remains to this day.
You can learn more about early day Oklahoma by visiting the research library at the Oklahoma History Center, NE 23rd just east of the state capitol in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma Journeys is a production of the Oklahoma History Center, dedicated to the collection, preservation, and sharing of our state’s past. I’m Michael Dean.