Flag of Wyoming: Difference between revisions

| Name = Wyoming

The '''[[flag]] of Wyoming''' was officially adopted to represent the [[Wyoming|U.S. state]] of [[Wyoming]]''' on January 31, 1917. The flag consists of the [[silhouette]] of an [[American bison]]. The red symbolizes the [[IndigenousNative peoplesAmericans ofin the AmericasUnited States|Native Americans]] and the blood of [[American pioneer|pioneers]] who gave their lives. The white is a symbol of purity and uprightness. The blue is the color of the skies and distant [[Rocky Mountains|mountains]]. It is also a symbol of fidelity, justice and virility. The bison represents the local fauna, while the [[Seal of Wyoming|seal]] on it symbolizessuggests the custom of branding livestock.<ref name="Znamierowski2006" />

[[File:Wyoming State Flag.jpg|thumb|upright|left|State of Wyoming flag flying under the [[Flag of the United States Flag|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 ({{inflation|US|20|1916|fmt=eq}}){{inflation/fn|US}} 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]] and noted, 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 (flag)|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.<ref> World Trade Press, [http://www.atoztheusa.com/states2.asp?nid=1&cid=54 A to Z the USA: Wyoming]{{Dead link|date=November 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

<ref name="Znamierowski2006">{{cite book |last=Znamierowski, |first=A: ''|title=The World Encyclopedia of Flags: The Definitive Guide to International Flags, Banners, Standards and Ensigns'', |page =199. |publisher=Anness Publishing Ltd, |year=2006.}}</ref>