Flag of Oklahoma

The Oklahoman flag flying outside of the Oklahoma Capitol.

Former flag of the Choctaw Nation, adopted in 1860 and carried by troops during the American Civil War (1861-1865).

The Osage shield is covered by two symbols of peace: the Plains-style ceremonial pipe representing Native Americans, and the olive branch representing European Americans. Six golden brown crosses, Native American symbols for stars, are spaced on the shield. The blue field is inspired by the Choctaw flag adopted by the tribe in 1860 and carried though the American Civil War.[3] The blue field also represents devotion. The shield surmounted by the calumet and olive branch represents defensive or protective warfare, showing a love of peace by a united people.[4]

The state legislature adopted the following salute to the flag in 1982: "I salute the Flag of the State of Oklahoma: Its symbols of peace unite all people."

Former Oklahoma flag, used from 1911 to 1925.

Former Oklahoma flag, used from April 2, 1925 to 1941.

Former Oklahoma flag, used from 1941 to 1988.

Former Oklahoma flag, used from 1988 to 2006.

Oklahoma's first flag was adopted in 1911, four years after statehood. Taking the colors red, white, and blue from the flag of the United States, the flag featured a large centered white star fimbriated in blue on a red field. The number 46 was written in blue inside the star, as Oklahoma was the forty-sixth state to join the Union.[1]

A contest, sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution, was held in 1924 to replace the flag, as red flags were closely associated with the red flag of communism. The winning entry by Louise Fluke, which was adopted as the state flag on April 2, 1925, resembled the current flag without the word Oklahoma on it. That word was added in 1941[1] in an effort to combat widespread illiteracy.[5][6]

The official design of the state flag has not changed since 1941, however, unauthorized Oklahoma flag designs became prevalent throughout the state, so much so that the correct and official design of the flag was becoming lost. These unauthorized flags displayed stylized eagle feathers, incorrectly shaped crosses, an incorrectly shaped calumet, wrong colors, or combinations of these and other errors. In 2005, an Oklahoma boy scout leader designing patches for a National Jamboree contingent was looking for an image of the Oklahoma state flag and noticed that there were multiple unauthorized designs of the Oklahoma state flag displayed on state government, historical, and educational websites. With some research he was able to identify the official design to use, but because of the prevalence of unauthorized designs, he contacted his state representative,[7] and was the impetus to standardize the colors and shapes by Oklahoma Senate Bill 1359[2] and signed into law by Governor Brad Henry on May 23, 2006, taking effect on November 1, 2006.[2]

In the 2010s, the first Oklahoma state flag began to be displayed as a symbol of Oklahoma's agrarian populist heritage.[8][9] In 2015, a new specialty license plate honoring the first flag was authorized by the legislature and signed into law. A minimum of 100 pre-orders were required and fulfilled.[10]

Standard of the Governor of Oklahoma

According to a statute adopted in 1957, the flag of the governor of Oklahoma consists of a forest green field, fringed in gold, charged with the state seal surrounded by a pentagram of five white stars.[11] The five white stars are attributed to represent the Five Civilized Tribes first removed to then Indian Territory in the 1830s, who settled the land long before European-Americans.

• Flags of the U.S. states
• History of the flags of the United States
• State of Oklahoma
• Symbols of the state of Oklahoma
• Great Seal of the state of Oklahoma

• Hickam, Mrs. Andrew R., "The State Flag of Oklahoma", Chronicles of Oklahoma, Vol. 9, No. 1 (March, 1931), pp. 10–11.

• Oklahoma (U.S.) at Flags of the World