In memory of the victims of last week’s violent shooting in Aurora, Colorado, stand united with our friends and neighbors in Colorado by flying the Colorado state flag.
The flag of the state of Colorado was adopted on June 5, 1911. The flag is rectangular with three horizontal stripes. The top and bottom stripes are blue and the middle stripe is white. Just to the left of the flag’s center point is a block letter red “C” that is filled with a gold circle.
Andrew Carlisle Johnson designed Colorado’s state flag during the year of the flag’s adoption. Previously, the flag of Colorado featured the state seal on a blue background. When the flag was originally adopted, the block letter C with the gold circle was smaller, and the entire graphic fit inside the white stripe. In 1964, the specifications for the flag were changed and the diameter of the gold disc is as large as the white center stripe.
The details of the Colorado state flag hold significance for the residents of this state. The blue stripes symbolize the big, clear blue skies of Colorado. The white stripe represents snow on the mountaintops of Colorado, some of which lasts all year round. The gold disc symbolizes the Colorado sunshine and the red C represents the color of some of Colorado’s soil.