Flag of Wyoming

Wyoming

Use	Civil and state flag
Proportion	7:10
Adopted	January 31, 1917; 107 years ago (1917-01-31)
Design	A dark blue field bordered by white and red; in the centre is the white silhouette of a bison bearing the state seal.
Designed by	Verna Keays

The flag of Wyoming was officially adopted to represent the U.S. state of Wyoming on January 31, 1917. The flag consists of the silhouette of an American bison, a symbol of fidelity, justice and virility. The bison also represents the local fauna; the intricate state seal on it is not of such bold design.^[1] The red symbolizes both the Native Americans and the blood of pioneers who gave their lives. Thoroughout white is a symbol of purity and uprightness; the blue is the color of the skies and distant mountains.

History

State of Wyoming flag flying under the United States flag.

In 1916 the Wyoming Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) ran a contest inviting the public to submit possible designs for a Wyoming flag. A prize of $20 (equivalent to $560 in 2023)^[2] was offered to the winner, and the DAR received a total of 37 entries. They chose a drawing by Verna Keays, a recent graduate of the Art Institute of Chicago. On January 31, 1917, Governor Robert D. Carey signed the state flag bill into law and the bison flag was officially adopted.

DAR regent Grace Raymond Hebard, a professor at the University of Wyoming, suffragist and scholar, contributed suggestions for changes after the design had been accepted. In Keays' original design, the one approved by Wyoming's legislature, the bison faces toward the fly, symbolizing its former freedom to roam the plains of Wyoming. Hebard thought that if the bison were to face toward the hoist, the design would be more balanced (animals generally face the hoist on flags, as they would the wind). In the end, all Wyoming flags from the first batch produced onward showed the bison facing the hoist, although this change was never officially adopted by the Wyoming legislature.^[3]

It is one of nine U.S. state flags to feature an eagle, alongside those of Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, New York, North Dakota, Oregon and Pennsylvania.

References

1. Znamierowski, A (2006). The World Encyclopedia of Flags: The Definitive Guide to International Flags, Banners, Standards and Ensigns. Anness Publishing. p. 199.
2. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
3. World Trade Press, A to Z the USA: Wyoming^{[permanent dead link‍]}

External links

• Wyoming (U.S.) at Flags of the World
• Rebecca Keays on Verna Keays Keyes & State Flag Design, Women of Wyoming, Then & Now, Wyoming Historical Society