Today, the flags of Georgia, Alaska, and Utah fly in celebration of Georgia’s ratification of the constitution on January 2, 1788; Alaska’s admission to the Union on January 3, 1959 as the 49th state; and Utah’s admission to the Union on January 4, 1896 as the 45th state.
The flag of Georgia was adopted in 2003, serving as Georgia’s fourth state flag.
OCGA § 50-3-1 (a) defines the flag as follows: “The flag of the State of Georgia shall consist of a square canton on a field of three horizontal bands of equal width. The top and bottom bands shall be scarlet and the center band white. The bottom band shall extend the entire length of the flag, while the center and top bands shall extend from the canton to the fly end of the flag. The canton of the flag shall consist of a square of blue the width of two of the bands, in the upper left of the hoist of the flag. In the center of the canton shall be placed a representation in gold of the coat of arms of Georgia as shown in the center of the obverse of the great seal of the State of Georgia adopted in 1799 and amended in 1914. Centered immediately beneath the coat of arms shall be the words “IN GOD WE TRUST” in capital letters. The coat of arms and wording “IN GOD WE TRUST” shall be encircled by 13 white five-pointed stars, representing Georgia and the 12 other original states that formed the United States of America. Official specifications of the flag, including color identification system, type sizes and fonts, and overall dimensions, shall be established by the Secretary of State, who pursuant to Code Section 50-3-4 serves as custodian of the state flag. Every force of the organized militia shall carry this flag while on parade or review.”
When I was in Georgia in 1998, I purchased a copy of the second Georgia state flag, which I no longer fly because, as adopted in 1956, it contains the COnfederate Battle Flag. I got my copy of the current state flag in 2025.
The flag of the state of Alaska, designed by Benny Benson, was adopted on May 2, 1927.
Alaska Statutes § 44.09.020 defines the flag of Alaska as follows, “The design of the official flag is eight gold stars in a field of blue, so selected for its simplicity, its originality, and its symbolism. The blue, one of the national colors, typifies the evening sky, the blue of the sea and of mountain lakes, and of wild flowers that grow in Alaskan soil, the gold being significant of the wealth that lies hidden in Alaska’s hills and streams.
The stars, seven of which form the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear, the most conspicuous constellation in the northern sky, contains the stars which form the “Dipper,” including the “Pointers” which point toward the eighth star in the flag, Polaris, the North Star, the ever constant star for the mariner, the explorer, hunter, trapper, prospector, woodsman, and the surveyor. For Alaska the northernmost star in the galaxy of stars represents Alaska, the forty-ninth star in the national emblem.
The flag of the Territory of Alaska is the official flag of the state. The standard proportions and size graphically delineated herein shall be used in the manufacture of the official flag of Alaska. The stars shall be the color of natural yellow gold and the field of blue shall be of the same shade of blue used in the official manufacture of the national emblem of the United States.”
The Alaska State flag which is flying today is one of my original flags from the 1980’s.
The flag of the State of Utah was adopted on March 9, 2024.
The flag is defined in Utah Code § 63G-1-501 (1), which reads as follows:
| The state flag of Utah shall be a rectangle that has a width to length ratio of three to five and contain the following:(a)two irregular, horizontal lines dividing the flag into three separate segments, of which:(i)the top segment:(A)is located above the higher horizontal line; and(B)is shaded in blue;(ii)the middle segment:(A)is located between the two horizontal lines;(B)is shaded in white;(C)at the higher horizontal line, takes the shape of a mountain with five peaks, the center peak being the tallest and following the shape of the highest point of the hexagon described in Subsection (1)(b); and(D)at the lower horizontal line, follows the shape of the lowest point of the hexagon described in Subsection (1)(b); and(iii)the bottom segment:(A)is located below the lower horizontal line; and(B)is shaded in red;(b)one hexagon that:(i)is shaded in blue;(ii)contains a smaller gold hexagon outline; and(iii)is placed within the center of the middle segment described in Subsection (1)(a)(ii);(c)one beehive that:(i)is shaded in gold;(ii)contains five hive sections with a small semicircle removed from the center of the base of the lowest section; and(iii)is placed within the center of the hexagon described in Subsection (1)(b); and(d)one five-pointed Utah star that:(i)is shaded in white; and(ii)is placed below the center of the beehive described in Subsection (1)(c). |
I have a version of what is now known as the Historic State Flag of Utah, which I purchased in Salt Lake City in 2005. I received the Utah flag which is flying today as a present in 2024.
Cruesbreck Flags 