Sunday, July 17, 2016

Oregon Flag And Its History

By Sarra Stown


The Oregon State Flag is the only State flag with a different design on each side. Adopted in 1925, the flag is colored navy blue with gold lettering and symbols. Certain occasions demand a more formal version of the flag and so a "dress" or "parade" version of the flag is fringed in gold.

In 1805 the Lewis and Clark expedition explored the area.John Jacob Astor's fur depot, Astoria, was founded in 1811. Disputes for control of Oregon between American settlers and the Hudson Bay Company were finally resolved in the 1846 Oregon Treaty, in which Great Britain gave up claims to the region.

The Oregon state flag was adopted in 1925 and is the only U.S. state flag that displays different images on front and back. The flag has gold lettering and symbols on a field of navy blue (blue and gold are Oregon's state colors). The flag's face displays part of the state seal and the words STATE OF OREGON 1859 (the year Oregon was admitted to the Union). The parade flag (or "dress flag") has a gold fringe, but the utility flag has a plain border.

The departing British ship and arriving American ship are said to represent that claim to the land was laid by both Great Britain and The United States at the same time. It is also said that the tack of the two ships represents the ascendance of American power in the western hemisphere. Another interpretation has the departure and arrival as representative of trade or commerce. This explanation would seem to ignore that the British vessel is a Man-of-War.

The reverse of the flag pictures Oregon's official state animal - the beaver. Oregon's nickname is The Beaver State (stemming from the early 19th century when fur hats were fashionable and Oregon's streams were an important source of beaver).

There is a barrage of cheap and inferior Oregon 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 inferior to American-made Oregon flags, but 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 Oregon flag for the future.




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