The Colorado State Flag
The state flag was adopted on June 5, 1911.
The blue is meant to represent the blue of the Colorado skies, the gold stands for the sunshine we enjoy, the white for the snowcapped mountains, and the red for the earth.
It was designed by Andrew Carlisle Carson, and the exact colors of the red and blue were not determined until February 28, 1929, when it was decided that they should be the same red and blue as the national flag. The exact size of the "C" was not official until March 31, 1964.
Citations: Senate Bill 118, 1911; Senate Bill 152, 1929; Senate Bill , 1964.
The blue is meant to represent the blue of the Colorado skies, the gold stands for the sunshine we enjoy, the white for the snowcapped mountains, and the red for the earth.
It was designed by Andrew Carlisle Carson, and the exact colors of the red and blue were not determined until February 28, 1929, when it was decided that they should be the same red and blue as the national flag. The exact size of the "C" was not official until March 31, 1964.
Citations: Senate Bill 118, 1911; Senate Bill 152, 1929; Senate Bill , 1964.
The Colorado State Seal
The circular Seal of the State of Colorado is an adaptation of the Territorial Seal which was adopted by the First Territorial Assembly on November 6, 1861. The only changes made from the Territorial Seal design were the substitution of the words, "State of Colorado" and the year "1876". The First General Assembly of the State of Colorado approved the adoption of the seal on March 15, 1877.
The Colorado Secretary of State is the only person authorized to put the Great Seal of Colorado on any document!
The seal is 2 1/2 inches in diameter and has at the top the eye of God within a triangle, from which golden rays radiate on two sides. Below the eye is a scroll, the Roman fasces (a bundle of birch or elm rods with a held together by red thongs or ribbons, and is a symbol of the republican form of government) bearing a red, white and blue band that says "Union and Constitution". Below the scroll is a shield with three snow-capped mountains with clouds above them. The lower half of the shield has two miner's tools, the pick and the sledge hammer. They are crossed on a golden ground. Below the shield in a semicircle is the state motto, Nil Sine Numine, and at the bottom the year 1876, which is the year that Colorado became a state.
The design for the Territorial Seal which served as the basis for the State Seal has been credited to many people but the person mainly responsible was Lewis Ledyard Weld, who was the Territorial Secretary and was appointed by President Abraham Lincoln in July of 1861. There is also evidence that Territorial Governor William Gilpin was also partially responsible for the design. Both Weld and Gilpin were knowledgeable in the art and symbolism of heraldry. Elements from both the Weld and Gilpin family coat-of-arm are in the Territorial Seal.
The Colorado Secretary of State is the only person authorized to put the Great Seal of Colorado on any document!
The seal is 2 1/2 inches in diameter and has at the top the eye of God within a triangle, from which golden rays radiate on two sides. Below the eye is a scroll, the Roman fasces (a bundle of birch or elm rods with a held together by red thongs or ribbons, and is a symbol of the republican form of government) bearing a red, white and blue band that says "Union and Constitution". Below the scroll is a shield with three snow-capped mountains with clouds above them. The lower half of the shield has two miner's tools, the pick and the sledge hammer. They are crossed on a golden ground. Below the shield in a semicircle is the state motto, Nil Sine Numine, and at the bottom the year 1876, which is the year that Colorado became a state.
The design for the Territorial Seal which served as the basis for the State Seal has been credited to many people but the person mainly responsible was Lewis Ledyard Weld, who was the Territorial Secretary and was appointed by President Abraham Lincoln in July of 1861. There is also evidence that Territorial Governor William Gilpin was also partially responsible for the design. Both Weld and Gilpin were knowledgeable in the art and symbolism of heraldry. Elements from both the Weld and Gilpin family coat-of-arm are in the Territorial Seal.