The flag of the U.S. state of Alaska displays eight gold stars, forming the

Big Dipper The Big Dipper (American English, US, Canadian English, Canada) or the Plough (British English, UK, Hiberno-English, Ireland) is an asterism (astronomy), asterism consisting of seven bright stars of the constellation Ursa Major; six of them ar ...

and

Polaris Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris (Latinisation of names, Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an ...

, on a dark blue field. The Big Dipper is an asterism in the constellation

Ursa Major Ursa Major, also known as the Great Bear, is a constellation in the Northern Sky, whose associated mythology likely dates back into prehistory. Its Latin name means "greater (or larger) bear", referring to and contrasting it with nearby Ursa M ...

, which symbolizes a bear, indigenous to Alaska. As depicted on the flag, its stars can be used as a guide by the novice to locate

and determine true north. The design was created by

Benny Benson John Ben Benson Jr. (September 12, 1912 – July 2, 1972) was an Alaska Natives, Alaska Native best known for designing the flag of Alaska. Benson was 14 years old when he won a contest in 1927 to design the flag for the Territory of Alas ...

of Seward and selected from among roughly 700 entries in a 1927 contest. In 2001, a survey conducted by the

North American Vexillological Association The North American Vexillological Association (NAVA) is a membership organization devoted to vexillology, the study of flags. It was founded in 1967 by American vexillologist Whitney Smith, and others. Its membership of 1,100+ comprises flag s ...

placed Alaska's flag fifth best in design quality out of the 72 Canadian provincial,

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

, and

U.S. territory In the United States, a territory is any extent of region under the sovereign jurisdiction of the federal government of the United States, including all waters (around islands or continental tracts). The United States asserts sovereign rights for ...

flags ranked. It finished behind the flags of New Mexico,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

, and

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

respectively.

Design and origin

Thirty-two years before Alaska became a state, the Alaska Department of the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an Voluntary association, organization of United States, U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises U.S. state, state, Territories of the United States, U.S. terr ...

sponsored a territorial contest for Alaskan children from seventh grade (age 12–13) to twelfth grade (age 17–18) to design a flag for the territory. In 1927, the contest committee chose fourteen year-old

's design to represent the future flag of the

Territory of Alaska The Territory of Alaska or Alaska Territory was an Organized incorporated territories of the United States, organized incorporated territory of the United States from August 24, 1912, until Alaska was granted statehood on January 3, 1959. The ...

. Benson, an

Alaska Native Alaska Natives (also known as Native Alaskans, Alaskan Indians, or Indigenous Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples of Alaska that encompass a diverse arena of cultural and linguistic groups, including the I ...

, was a resident at the

Jesse Lee Home for Children The Jesse Lee Home for Children was a former home for displaced children on Swetmann Avenue in Seward, Alaska, Seward, Alaska, United States. It was operated by the United Methodist Church from its opening in 1926 until the building suffered dama ...

in Seward. In many sources Benson is said to have been an orphan, but his father was still alive when he began work on his design. Most other entries featured variations on the territorial seal, the

midnight sun Midnight sun, also known as polar day, is a natural phenomenon that occurs in the summer months in places north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle, when the Sun remains visible at the local midnight. When midnight sun is see ...

, the northern lights,

polar bears The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a large bear native to the Arctic and nearby areas. It is closely related to the brown bear, and the two species can interbreed. The polar bear is the largest extant species of bear and land carnivo ...

, and/or gold pans. (Previously this article stated "roughly 700 other submissions" but other sources say there were just 142 design submissions.) To celebrate his achievement, Benson was awarded a scholarship worth $1,000 and an engraved watch. Alaskans had flown only the

U.S. flag The national flag of the United States, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen horizontal stripes, alternating red and white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-point ...

in the period between the territory's purchase from Russia in 1867 and the selection of Benson's design in 1927. Benny looked to the sky for the symbols he included in his design. Choosing the familiar constellation he looked for every night before going to sleep at the orphanage, he submitted this description with it: Benny Benson holding the flag of Alaska that he designed

Benny Benson holding the flag of Alaska that he designed

The official design of the flag is outlined in the Alaska Statutes by The Alaska State Legislature, which explains the flag's colors and symbolism, along with proper display, folding, presentation, and retirement of the flag.

Gallery

File:The United States flag flies above the Alaska State flag at the Kodiak Launch Complex in Kodiak Alaska. The 114th Combat Communications Squadron (CBCS), Patrick AFB, Florida, along - DPLA - 69356cad07c8f3850c1f6b3ec479300f.jpeg, Flag of Alaska flying below the United States flag. Alaska license plate, 1982.png, Alaskan license plate from 1981 to 1997, which featured the Alaskan state flag on it. Alaska Bicentennial 13c 1976 issue.jpg, The Alaska state flag as depicted in the 1976 bicentennial postage stamp series.

History

Russian-American Company Flag

Between 1799 and 1867 Alaska was governed by the

Russian-American Company The Russian-American Company Under the High Patronage of His Imperial Majesty was a state-sponsored chartered company formed largely on the basis of the Shelikhov-Golikov Company, United American Company. Emperor Paul I of Russia chartered the c ...

(RAC), a state-sponsored commercial company initially headquartered in Irkutsk, then St. Petersburg, Russia. The flag flown by the Company's ships and their shore establishments was Russia's commercial flag (civil ensign). On September 28 (October 10, new style) 1806, Aleksandr I, Emperor of Russia made a notation on the design submitted to him of a new flag for the Russian-American Company; "So be it", and added his

cypher Cypher may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Cypher (French Group), a Goa trance music group * Cypher (band), an Australian instrumental band * ''Cypher'' (film), a 2002 film * ''Cypher'' (...And Oceans album) * ''Cypher'' (Spektr album) * C ...

, thereby approving the first flag in Russia's history to be used by an Imperial chartered company. After Imperial confirmation, the case was heard in the Senate and on October 19, 1806, was sent for execution to the main office of the Russian-American Company (RAC), and also to the Admiralty and Commerce colleges. The new Company flag design of 1806 placed the Imperial eagle in the upper left quarter of Russia's commercial flag. In order that the State symbol remain unobstructed and more visible the width of the white stripe was enlarged to cover roughly one half of the flag's width. The normal width proportions of Russia's commercial flag were equal thirds. The Imperial eagle carried a scroll that dipped into the blue stripe, also for more visibility, which read, in abbreviated form "Russian American Company's". The symbolism of the scroll beneath the Imperial eagle complements the official version of the Company's name "Under His Imperial Majesty's Protection Russian-American Company."Бытъ По Сему – So be it: 200 years of the history and interpretation of "The flag granted by his Imperial Highness" The flag of the Russian-American Company. By John Middleton, September 2006. Fort Ross Conservancy web site
/ref> The flag flew over Alaska until October 18, 1867, when all Russian and American Company holdings in Alaska were sold to the United States.

State flag

The Alaska Legislature adopted Benson's design as the official flag for the Territory of Alaska on May 2, 1927. The first flag made based on Benny's design was made of blue

silk Silk is a natural fiber, natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be weaving, woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is most commonly produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoon (silk), c ...

and

appliqué Appliqué is ornamental needlework in which pieces or patches of fabric in different shapes and patterns are sewn or stuck onto a larger piece to form a picture or pattern. It is commonly used as decoration, especially on garments. The technique ...

d gold stars. It was retained as the state flag at

statehood A state is a political entity that regulates society and the population within a definite territory. Government is considered to form the fundamental apparatus of contemporary states. A country often has a single state, with various administrat ...

in 1959. The flag's symbolism is described in the state song, "

Alaska's Flag ''Alaska's Flag'' is the List of U.S. state songs, regional anthem of the U.S. state of Alaska. It was adopted in 1959, as Alaska became the 49th state. Lyrics Unique among List of U.S. state songs, state songs, its lyrics explain the symbol ...

Historical flags

{, class="sortable wikitable" , - ! class="unsortable" , Allegiance ! class="unsortable" , Governing Body ! class="unsortable" , Design(s) ! class="unsortable" , Dates in Use , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , Claimed by Russian Empire , , N/A, , rowspan="2" , Flag of Russia

, , {{Dts, July 15, 1741 – July 8, 1799 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , rowspan="3" , Russian Empire , , rowspan="3" ,

, , {{Dts, 1799, 07, 8 – October 10, 1806 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , Flag of Russian-American Company

, , {{Dts, 1806, 10, 10 – October 18, 1867 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , , , {{Dts, 1858, 06, 11 – October 18, 1867 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , rowspan="11" , United States of America , , rowspan="2" , The

Department of Alaska The Department of Alaska was the designation for the government of Alaska from its purchase by the United States of America in 1867 until its organization as the District of Alaska in 1884. During the department era, Alaska was variously u ...

(United States Army, Navy or Treasury) , , , , {{Dts, 1867, 10, 18 – July 3, 1877 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , , , {{Dts, 1877, 07, 4 – May 16, 1884 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , rowspan="6" ,

District of Alaska The District of Alaska was the federal government’s designation for Alaska from May 17, 1884, to August 24, 1912, when it became the Territory of Alaska. Previously (1867–1884) it had been known as the Department of Alaska, a military des ...

, , , , {{Dts, 1884, 05, 17 – July 3, 1890 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , , , {{Dts, 1890, 07, 4 – July 3, 1891 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , , , {{Dts, 1891, 07, 4 – July 3, 1896 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , , , {{Dts, 1896, 07, 4 – July 3, 1908 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , , , {{Dts, 1908, 07, 4 – July 3, 1912 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , , , {{Dts, 1912, 07, 4 – August 23, 1912 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , rowspan="2" , Territory of Alaska , , , , {{Dts, 1912, 08, 24 – July 9, 1927 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , rowspan="2" , Flag of Alaska

, , {{Dts, 1927, 07, 9 – January 3, 1959 , - style="vertical-align:center;text-align:center;" , State of Alaska , , {{Dts, 1959, 01, 3 – present

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

Catalog of the "Eight Stars" exhibit
at the

Alaska State Museum The Alaska State Museum is a museum in Juneau, Alaska, United States. The museum's collections include cultural materials from the people of the Northwest Coast ( Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian), the Athabascan cultures of Interior Alaska, the In ...

(PDF) {{US state flags {{Alaska {{DEFAULTSORT:Flag Of Alaska

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

Symbols of Alaska

Flags with stars Flags designed by children and students