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Historical Flags of Oklahoma (U.S.)
Last modified: 2005-03-05 by rick wyatt
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1911-1924 Oklahoma Red Flag
by Jaume Ollé
John Fetzer posted me a photocopy from a book flags of the United States with the 1911-1924 Oklahoma red flag. The star is white fimbriated blue with blue number 46 into the star. Before Oklahoma was the Indian Territory. probably it did not have its own flag.
Jaume Ollé
OKLAHOMA CITY -- The 14 flags that have flown over what is now the state of
Oklahoma characterize the state's unique history, said Rep. Wayne Pettigrew.
Yet, not all the flags are displayed and some are displayed inaccurately. The
Edmond Republican plans to introduce legislation to remedy flag inaccuracies and
restore the original symbols of those nations and governments which influenced
the cultural heritage of the state of Oklahoma. According to the state
Department of Central Services, 13 flags now fly in the Capitol Flag Plaza,
located on the south side of the Capitol. Gov. Frank Keating recently chose to
display Oklahoma flags on the fourteen flagpoles.
In addition to the current United States of America flag, Pettigrew's
legislation would require the following flags, standards or banners to be
displayed at the State Capitol Building:
- Coronado's Royal Standard of Spain 1541
- the Great Union of Great Britain Flag of 1663
- the French Royal Standard of 1719
- the Standard of the Spanish Empire of 1763
- the Standard of Napoleon's French Republic of 1800
- the 15-star United States of America Flag of 1818
- the Republic of Mexico Flag, which flew over the Oklahoma Panhandle from
1821 to1836
- the Republic of Texas Flag, which flew over the Oklahoma Panhandle from
1836 to 1839
- the Lone Star Flag of Texas, which flew over the Oklahoma Panhandle from
1839 to 1850
- the Flag of the Choctaw Indian Nation, carried by Choctaw Nation
Confederate Troops from 1861 to 1865
- the Oklahoma State Flag adopted by the State Legislature in 1911
- and the Oklahoma State Flag adopted by the State Legislature in 1925.
In
1988, the Legislature approved Senate Joint Resolution 48, which mandated the
display of the 14 flags that have flown over Oklahoma territories. However,
the resolution became nullified in 1991 when it failed to be codified into law
within 10 years.
Another problem with the resolution was that it called for one of the flags
flown to be the Confederate States of America Flag of 1861 to 1865. As a
result, the Confederate Battle Flag, which is the image now associated with
white supremacy groups, was flown on the Capitol grounds.
Amid protests, the battle flag was removed and the 14th flagpole has remained
bare since 1988. The controversy was due to a mistake, said Pettigrew.
According to historian Tom Franzmann, the Confederate Battle Flag was never
the national flag of the Confederacy and should not have been selected as an
appropriate flag to be displayed.
As part of a brief submitted in a 1998 lawsuit, Franzmann stated "The flag
perhaps most closely associated with the Confederate presence in the Indian
Territory was the First National Flag, also known as the 'Stars and Bars'."
This flag more closely resembles the United States Flag in its pattern and
bears no resemblance to the battle flag.
A unit of Cherokee Indians carried a version of the flag in 1862, referred to
as the "Cherokee Braves Stars and Bars." Pettigrew said the proposed
legislation clearly indicates that this version of the flag is the only
acceptable Confederacy flag to be displayed.
"I hope this bill helps to avoid future mistakes regarding which flags should
be flown," he said.
Source:
http://66.220.130.210/cgi-bin/LiveIQue.acgi$rec=95482?news
Phil Nelson, 14 January 2003
In the news yesterday, KTUL-TV reported yesterday that the Oklahoma state
senate approved a bill that would allow the Confederate flag to fly over the
Oklahoma History Center as one of the 14 flags that flew over Oklahoma.
Originally, the legislation had proposed flying the flag of the Cherokee Braves
instead.
Phil Nelson, 23 April 2003