Arizona State Flag History Today

By Stanly White


The origin of the Arizona Flag goes back to the National Rifle Matches held at Camp Perry in 1910. This event happened before Arizona had become an official member of the Union. Every state rifle team carried its individual emblem nor flag. This concept gave birth to an idea in the minds of the Arizona Rifle Team members, who did not possess any flag.

Members of the visiting Arizona Rifle Team noticed that all of the other "state" rifle teams carried flags or emblems. The Arizona team had no such flag or emblem and brought this to the attention of Arizona National Guard Colonel Charles Wilfred Harris, who was serving as the team captain. The team suggested that a flag is created to represent the Arizona Rifle Team at future National Rifle Matches.

The designer of the Arizona Flag was Colonel Charles W. Harris, Arizona's adjutant general, and chief administrative officer. He had also designed the flag for the Arizona Rifle Team, that bore a resemblance to the Arizona State Flag.

Designed by Colonel Charles W. Harris, the first flag, carried by the Arizona Rifle Team to the National Rifle Matches in 1911, was sewn by Nan D. Hayden. In1912, now serving as Adjutant General of Arizona, Colonel Harris designed a state flag that was similar to the flag that he designed for the Arizona Rifle Team.

The blue, red, yellow and copper standard was accepted disregarding different differing votes and subsequently Governor Campbell's refusal to sign the bill. Since Arizona is a western part, the beams exhibit a setting sun. The shades of the beams demonstrate red and yellow in the Spanish standards passed on by Coronado when he came to Arizona in 1540. Arizona's main enterprises and attractions are represented in the seal. In the background of the seal is a range of mountains with the sun rising behind the peaks. At the right side of the mountains are a water storage reservoir and a dam, with irrigated fields and orchards. There are cattle grazing on the right, a quartz mill and a miner with a pick and shovel on the left. Above the drawing is the Arizona state motto.

There is a barrage of cheap and inferior Arizona flags being imported and sold, that do not comply with the flag statute. This is bad for a number of reasons. Imported flags are cheaply made and more importantly, the designs, materials, colors, and methods of printing do not compare well with the better quality, longer-lasting, and correctly designed flags made by American manufacturers. The Flag Company Inc specialized in flag designs offered a special edition of decals and flags to memorize the history of Arizona flag for the future.




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