Flag of Colorado facts for kids
 |
|
| Use | Civil and state flag    |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | First adopted on June 5, 1911 Last revised on March 31, 1964 |
| Design | Three horizontal stripes of blue, white, and blue. On top of these stripes sits a circular red "C", filled with a golden disk. |
| Designed by | Andrew Carlisle Carson |
The flag of Colorado is a special symbol for the state. It was officially chosen on June 5, 1911. A man named Andrew Carlisle Carson designed it.
The flag has three wide stripes going across. The top and bottom stripes are blue, and the middle stripe is white. In the center, there's a big red letter "C" with a golden circle inside it. Each part of the flag has a meaning. The blue stands for the sky. The gold shows the many sunny days Colorado gets. The white represents the snowy Rocky Mountains. The red color reminds us of the reddish earth found in the state. The gold and white also represent Colorado's history with gold and silver mining.
Before this flag, Colorado had another official flag from 1907 to 1911. But it wasn't very popular. The new design by Andrew Carlisle Carson was much more liked. It was first shown to the public at a parade on May 30, 1911. The flag was officially adopted a few days later. Later, in 1929 and 1964, small changes were made to make sure everyone used the exact same colors and sizes for the "C" and gold circle.
Contents
How the Flag Came to Be
Colorado became the 38th state in the United States on August 1, 1876. For a while, people used an unofficial banner. It was just the state seal on a blue background.
The state didn't get an official flag until April 9, 1907. This first official flag had parts of the state seal and the state motto. The motto was in Latin: Nil sine numine, which means "Nothing without Providence or Deity." But this flag was not popular. Only one was ever made, and it was never flown in public. It just stayed hidden in a closet at the Colorado State Capitol.
The idea for the modern Colorado flag started with a group called the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). They met in Denver on November 14, 1910. They didn't know Colorado already had an official flag. So, they decided to design a new one!
The DAR members formed a committee. They received many designs. They liked one with three horizontal stripes: red, white, and red. It also had the state seal in the middle. A state senator named William H. Sharpley helped them get this flag idea to the state lawmakers. However, this design wasn't very popular.
Then, Andrew Carlisle Carson submitted his design. It had blue, white, and blue horizontal stripes. In the middle, it had a red "C" with a gold circle inside it. This design was much more popular with the lawmakers.
Carson's design passed easily in the Colorado Senate on April 25, 1911. Then, it passed in the Colorado House of Representatives on May 6, 1911. The flag was shown in public for the first time on May 30, 1911, during a parade. It became the official flag of Colorado on June 5, 1911. The law even said that all citizens could use this design, not just for flags.
Over time, people noticed some flags looked a little different. The law hadn't said the exact shade of blue or red to use. Also, it didn't say how big the "C" should be. So, on February 28, 1929, the lawmakers decided the blue and red should be the same colors as on the U.S. flag.
Still, there were differences in the size of the "C" and the gold circle. Some flags had the "C" only in the white stripe. Others had it reaching into the blue stripes. To fix this, on March 31, 1964, the lawmakers made a final rule. They said the gold circle must be the same width as the white stripe. This final rule created the flag design we see today.
-
Unofficial state flag, 1876–1907 -
State flag, 1907–1911 -
DAR proposal design, 1910 -
Variant state flag, 1911–1964
.svg)
.svg)
.svg)
What the Flag's Design Means
The law that approved the flag in 1911 explained ten special meanings.
The red letter "C" stands for three things:
- The name of the state, "Colorado."
- "Centennial," because Colorado became a state in 1876. This was the 100th birthday (centennial) of the United States.
- "Columbine," which is the beautiful state flower.
The gold circle inside the "C" means a few things:
- It represents the bright sunshine Colorado gets. The state has almost 300 sunny days each year!
- It also stands for gold and the gold mining industry in Colorado.
The blue stripes represent the sky. The white stripes stand for the snowy peaks of the Rocky Mountains. They also represent silver and the silver mining industry. Together, the blue and white stripes also remind us of the colors of the columbine flower.
Other meanings have been noted too. The red color of the "C" can also represent the reddish earth found across much of Colorado.
The flag has a specific shape, called a 2:3 ratio. This means its width is two-thirds of its length. The 1964 law made sure the gold circle's size matched the white stripe's width. It also said the red "C" should take up two-thirds of the flag's total width.
In a survey done in 2001, Colorado's flag was ranked 16th out of 72 state and provincial flags. This survey was done by the North American Vexillological Association, a group that studies flags.
Rules for Flying the Flag
The state of Colorado and the governor's office have rules for how and when the flag should be flown.
Sometimes, the flag is flown at half-staff. This means it's lowered partway down the flagpole. The governor can order this, usually along with the U.S. flag. This happens for funerals of Colorado service members or state officials. It can also happen if the president asks, often for a national tragedy.
The flag is always lowered to half-staff on three holidays:
- Memorial Day (but it's raised to the top at noon).
- September 11.
- National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
The governor can also order the flag lowered whenever they think it's right. The Colorado flag should always be flown to the right and below the U.S. flag. This rule comes from the United States Flag Code.
State law says that government buildings and schools must have a "suitable" flagpole. Both the U.S. and state flags should be flown, and they must be the same size.
Other Ways the Flag is Used
The Colorado state flag design is also used on the state's highway signs. Sometimes, the "C" on these signs looks a little different. It might not extend into the blue stripes. The flag also inspired Colorado's newest state logo, which was revealed in 2019.
Sports teams in Colorado have used the flag's colors and design too. The Colorado Rapids, a soccer team, wore special uniforms in 2017. They were yellow with blue accents, inspired by the flag. The Colorado Rockies, a hockey team from 1976 to 1982, also used the flag's colors and emblem on their uniforms.
In 2007, a courthouse in Mesa County, Colorado, made news. Its flagpole only flew the U.S. flag, not the state flag. No one knew why. But the Colorado flag became very popular in the 2010s. People bought many shirts, stickers, and other items with the flag's design.
-
The state flag flying under the national flag at the Colorado State Capitol
-
The national and state flags over the Colorado State Capitol
-
An Adirondack chair in Vail with a state flag design
-
The Colorado Rapids' alternate kit with a flag-inspired color scheme
-
The flag of Colorado (third pole from left) alongside others at the Four Corners Monument
-
The Colorado state flag as depicted in the 1976 bicentennial postage stamp series.
See also
In Spanish: Bandera de Colorado para niños
- List of Colorado state symbols
