Flag of Utah Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
State of Utah


Use	Civil and state flag
Proportion	5:8
Adopted	February 16, 2011 (2011-02-16)
Design	The Utah coat of arms encircled in a golden circle with the number "1896" written in white text with Arabic numerals, on a field of dark navy blue.

The flag of the state of Utah is a special symbol for the state. It was chosen in February 2011. The flag has the seal of Utah inside a golden circle. This circle sits on a dark navy blue background. This flag replaced an older one that looked quite similar and was used since 1913.

What the Utah Flag Means
How the Flag Changed Over Time
Images for kids
See also

What the Utah Flag Means

Flag of Utah (enhanced variant).

The United States flag (center), the older Utah state flag (left), and the Mormon pioneer flag (right).

A display at the Utah State Capitol showing the history of the flag.

The symbols on Utah's flag tell a story about the state.

The bald eagle is the national bird of the United States. It stands for protection and strength, both in times of peace and war.
The sego lily is Utah's state flower. It represents peace. This flower also helped early settlers survive tough winters by providing food.
The state motto "Industry" and the beehive show that Utah values hard work and progress.
The U.S. flags on the design show Utah's loyalty to the United States.
The state name "Utah" appears below the beehive.
The date 1847 marks the year the Mormon pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley.
The date 1896 shows the year Utah became the 45th state in the Union.

Utah's flag is one of the few state flags that includes the American flag in its design. This is important because some people questioned the loyalty of the Mormon settlers to the United States. This was one reason why Utah did not become a state until nearly 40 years after the first settlements.

In 2001, the North American Vexillological Association looked at the designs of many flags. They surveyed their members about all 72 U.S. state, U.S. territorial, and Canadian provincial flags. Utah's flag was ranked 58th out of these 72 flags.

How the Flag Changed Over Time

A former Utah state flag, used from 1903 to 1913.

A former Utah state flag, used from 1913 to 2011.

The basic design of Utah's flag comes from the Seal of Utah. The state legislature approved this seal on April 3, 1896. An artist named Harry Edwards designed the seal. It looks similar to the old seal of the Utah Territory.

The First State Flag

Utah's first flag was made in March 1903. It was created for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri. The governor of Utah, Heber M. Wells, asked the Utah State Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution to help make the flag.

On May 1, 1903, the governor and his group marched in a parade with the new flag. This flag was blue. It had the state seal and the year '1896' hand-embroidered in white in the middle. At first, people called it the "Governor's Flag." But on March 9, 1911, the legislature made it the official state flag.

Changes in 1913

In 1912, a group called the Sons and Daughters of Utah Pioneers ordered a special flag. It was for the battleship USS Utah. When the flag arrived, they noticed some differences. The shield on the flag was in full color, not white. Also, the company had added a gold ring around the shield.

Instead of having a new flag made, Annie Wells Cannon suggested a change to the law. The Utah legislature agreed. They changed the law to make these new design elements part of the official flag. This new flag was shown in January 1913 at the Utah State Capitol. It was also displayed in store windows and at a special party before going to the battleship.

Fixing a Mistake in 2011

In 2011, lawmakers found a mistake on all Utah state flags. The year 1847 was stitched in the wrong place. It was put just above the year 1896, instead of on the shield where it belonged. People believe that every flag made since 1922 copied this mistake. So, the error was on flags for 89 years!

The legislature passed a resolution to fix this mistake. Later that same year, they also made March 9 an annual Utah State Flag day.

Utah Territory Flag

Before Utah became a state, the Utah Territory had its own flag. It looked somewhat like the flag that Utah later used as a state.

Flag of the State of Deseret

The flag of the State of Deseret was generally similar to the Utah state flag. However, it was not officially set. So, many other flags were also used for different purposes.