State and municipal flags wave way out west

by James Breig

Last week’s article focused on how, 125 years ago, Wyoming and Idaho became states. That changed the American flag, but what are their state flags like? Do they have interesting capital city flags as well?

IDAHO

The state flag of Idaho uses the words “State of Idaho” twice. That’s because it’s made up of the state’s seal on a blue background.

In addition to the words, the busy seal features a man, a woman and an animal’s head. The female figure represents liberty and justice, while the male, who holds a shovel and pick, is a miner, reflective of one of Idaho’s main industries. Another, tinier man, shown plowing, appears in a seal within the seal (another redundancy) to honor the state’s agricultural history.

Emblazoned above all those images is the motto “Esto Perpetua,” Latin for “Let it exist forever.” Atop the seal is an elk, reflecting Idaho’s protection of that species.

BOISE MUNICIPAL FLAG

The flag of the capital of Idaho is mostly blue, includes the state capitol dome and carries the simple slogan: “Boise: City of Trees.” The city name is printed in yellow.

This slogan makes perfect sense because “boise” is a French word meaning “wooded.”

WYOMING

The red, white and blue state flag of Wyoming is one of the simplest among the 50 states. It features the outline of a bison on which is stamped a black-and-white copy of the state seal.

The Secretary of State in Wyoming, explaining the contents of the Great Seal, said it has two dates, 1869 and 1890, to “commemorate the organization of the territorial government and Wyoming’s admission into the Union.” A female figure grasps “a banner proclaiming ‘Equal Rights,’” because the state granted full rights to both sexes.

Two men on the seal “typify the livestock and mining industries of the state,” according to the Secretary. “Upon a five-pointed star the number 44 appears,” indicative of the state being the 44th to enter the Union.

Also within the seal are “lamps from which burn the Light of Knowledge,” while “scrolls encircling the two pillars bear the words ‘Oil,’ ‘Mines,’ ‘Livestock’ and ‘Grain,’ four of Wyoming’s major industries.”

CHEYENNE MUNICIPAL FLAG

The gold, brown and white flag of Cheyenne, the capital of Wyoming, also contains a bison, this one within a circle that bears the words: “The Equality State: Wyoming.” Six stars glimmer on the banner.

Mayor Rick Kaysen sent information about the flag, which supplanted an earlier version that featured a cowboy. In 2002, the western figure was removed by a resolution of the city council. The resolution said that the bison “encourages the continuation of the spirit of the west and enhances the city’s image of strength…to serve the public.”

The city flag also carries a date, 1867, the year of the first charter of the town that would become the state capital. At the time, Cheyenne was part of the Dakota Territory.

The city is also in the process of honoring the American flag through the creation of an “Avenue of Flags.” With the aid of the American Legion, the Cheyenne’s “long-term plan” is “to line the roadways throughout the various cemeteries [in the city] with U.S. flags in an attempt to increase patriotism and enhance the cemeteries.”