{"id":2897,"date":"2015-12-31T08:20:33","date_gmt":"2015-12-31T13:20:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/?p=2897"},"modified":"2025-04-18T09:42:37","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T13:42:37","slug":"utah-flag-was-wrong-for-decades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/utah-flag-was-wrong-for-decades\/","title":{"rendered":"Utah\u2019s flag was wrong for decades"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Rudyard<\/a>
Rudyard Kipling<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The British author Rudyard Kipling liked flags, but not Utah. The state doesn\u2019t care because, for one thing, it\u2019s more interested in marking the 120th anniversary of its entry into the United States on Jan. 4, 1896. It\u2019s also interested in its state flag<\/a>, which was wrong for years.<\/p>\n

Kipling wrote a poem titled \u201cThe English flag<\/a>,\u201d in which the four winds declare they couldn\u2019t defeat the banner with their powers. As for Utah, he expressed his feelings by sneering: \u201cWhen I went there, the place was full of people who would have been much better for a washing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The state capitol backs up the Utah flag. (State of Utah image)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Utah was settled by Mormons, they named the territory Deseret, meaning beehive. When statehood came, it was Utah that entered, carrying what is sometimes called \u201cthe beehive flag.\u201d That\u2019s because the state seal and banner include a hive to represent the busy-ness of its citizens.<\/p>\n

A 1917 issue of The National Geographic describes the Utah flag<\/a> as \u201cconsisting of a blue field with a border of gold and a design in the center.\u201d That design included a shield and an eagle for starters. As the state\u2019s website puts it, \u201ca bald eagle, the United States national bird, perches atop the shield and symbolizes protection in peace and war. The sego lily is a symbol of peace and a U.S. flag appears on each side, symbolizing Utah\u2019s support to the nation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Salt<\/a>
Salt Lake City’s original flag. (State of Utah)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In short, the Utah state flag<\/a> contains two American flags<\/a>. It also contains two years: 1847, when members of the Latter-Day Saints came into the territory, and 1896, honoring statehood. To top it off, the top of the flag bears the word \u201cIndustry.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then something strange occurred: Unauthorized changes were made to the flag\u2019s design, and the wrong state flag<\/a> was flown for nearly 90 years. The correct flag wasn\u2019t restored until 2011.<\/p>\n

\"Brigham<\/a>
Brigham Young<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Utah\u2019s capital, Salt Lake City, has had two municipal flags<\/a> in the span of four decades. The first one, adopted in 1969, imitates the state banner by featuring the outline of a beehive. Inside it were a setting sun and oxen pulling a covered wagon. Flanking the beehive are images of a pioneer woman with a child and a pioneer man holding a shovel.<\/p>\n

Beneath them runs the slogan, \u201cThis is the place,\u201d and a ribbon bearing the city\u2019s name. The quotation is credited to Mormon leader Brigham Young, asserting that his wandering people had finally arrived at their home.<\/p>\n

\"Current
Current flag of Salt Lake City.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The busy-ness \u2013 or buzzy-ness \u2013 of the Utahans continues to be reflected in the capital\u2019s municipal flag by the appearance of two seagulls atop the hive\u2019s outline. The gulls reflect the story of how they appeared out of nowhere to devour insects threatening the crops of the new settlers.<\/p>\n

In 2006, the capital went in another direction, adopting a far less cluttered city flag<\/a>. The new one contains images of mountains and a cityscape, below which appear three words: \u201cSalt Lake City.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The British author Rudyard Kipling liked flags, but not Utah. The state doesn\u2019t care because, for one thing, it\u2019s more interested in marking the 120th anniversary of its entry into the United States on Jan. 4, 1896. It\u2019s also interested in its state flag, which was wrong for years. Kipling wrote a poem titled \u201cThe… continue<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":2902,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[218,328],"class_list":["post-2897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-lessons","tag-state-flag","tag-utah"],"yoast_head":"\nUtah flag was wrong for decades<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Utah entered the union carrying \u201cthe beehive flag." The Utah flag includes a hive to represent the busy-ness of its citizens.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/utah-flag-was-wrong-for-decades\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Utah flag was wrong for decades\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Utah entered the union carrying \u201cthe beehive flag." 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