Alaska flag designed by a 13 year old. On it are eight gold stars .
Alaska flag designed by a 13 year old The territorial governor thought having a flag would make Alaska look more ready to become a state. Mar 11, 2022 · He led a team of nearly 20 researchers and historians, who discovered that Benson was actually 14 years old when he designed the flag, not 13 as previously thought. S. Benson, an Alaska Native, was a resident at the Jesse Lee Home for Children in Seward. In 1926, Alaska Department of the American Legion sponsored a for Alaskan children to help design a flag for the territory. The year was 1927. The chosen flag was designed by 13-year-old Benny Benson who lived at Jesse Lee Mission Home in Seward, a home for displaced children. Benny Benson chose the background color of the flag to represent both the blue sky and the forget-me-not. Benson was 14 years old when he won a contest in 1927 to design the flag for the Territory of Alaska, which became a U. The dog team is for the Alaskans and 1867 was when United States bought Alaska from Russia. The Alaska American Legion sponsored a design-the-Alaska-flag contest for children in the seventh . But in 1926, Territorial Governor George Parks thought having In 1927, the contest committee chose fourteen year-old Benny Benson's design to represent the future flag of the Territory of Alaska. th. John Ben Benson Jr. Oct 17, 2017 · A drawing contest became a life-changer for 13-year-old Benny Benson. The Alaska State Flag was adopted May 2, 1927. (September 12, 1912 – July 2, 1972) was an Alaska Native best known for designing the flag of Alaska. They also uncovered he story of Alaska’s flag is a unique and important part of 20. It was designed by a 13-year-old Aleut boy named Benny Benson, who won a territory-wide contest in 1927. Text on flag: Alaska 1867. state on January Alaska became a territory of the United States in 1912. century Americana. Jul 9, 2021 · And the flag, which is still used today, was designed by a 13 year old. That flag, which is still used today, was designed by a 13 year old of Aleutian descent, Benny Benson. In its journey to statehood, the Alaska Department of the American Legion held a 1927 flag design contest for children across Alaska, grades 7-12. At the time, Alaska was still a territory, meaning that the federal government controlled Alaska and its citizens lacked voting representation in Congress. The winning design was created by a 13-year-old Native American boy, Bennie Benson, from the village of Chignik. What began in 1927 as a flag design contest resulted in the remarkable story of 13-year old Benny Benson and how his winning entry provided a flag for Alaska and a symbol of independence during the statehood campaign. Two years later, Benny Benson was a seventh-grader at a territorial school at Seward when he entered his flag design. From his little desk, Benny created a scene familiar to every Alaska child who gazes skyward – the seven stars of the Big Dipper and the guiding light of the North Star. Mar 11, 2022 · Historians announced Thursday that they’ve uncovered evidence that key details about the teenager who designed Alaska’s state flag have been wrong for more than a century. Benny Benson Memorial at mile 1. flag. His design was officially adopted as the territorial flag and later became the state flag when Alaska was admitted to the Union in 1959. Dec 21, 2022 · The design for the Alaskan state flag was made by a 13-year-old boy named John Bell ("Benny") Benson. The first flag made based on Benny's design was made of blue silk and appliquéd gold stars. Read more about the flag's fascinating history. Parks, the Alaska Chapter of the American Legion conducted a contest among the Territory's school children to choose Alaska's Flag Design. The winning entry, crafted by a talented 13-year-old named Benny Benson, showcased a captivating design. One of the students participating in the contest was thirteen year-old Benny Benson. Bennie received a 1,000-dollar scholarship and a watch At the request of Governor George A. Alaska's territorial flag was designed in 1926 by a 13-year-old Native American boy who received $1,000 for his winning entry in a contest. 4 (km 2. 3) of the Seward Highway in Seward, Alaska. Text under flag: The blue is for the Alaska sky and the Alaskan flower forget-me-not. On it are eight gold stars Alaska State Flag "eight gold stars in a field of blue" Adopted on May 2, 1927. The territory adopted the flag in 1927, and in 1959, after achieving statehood, Alaska adopted the flag for official state use. Alaska wouldn’t become a state until 1959, but back in the 1920s the push for statehood was already underway. The blue field represents the sky, the sea, and mountain lakes as well as Alaska's wildflowers. It consisted of a deep blue background adorned with eight shimmering gold stars. Alaska's flag was designed by 13-year old John Bell (Benny) Benson. In many sources Benson is said to have been an orphan, but his father was still alive when he began work on his design. Apr 2, 2025 · He persuaded the Alaska American Legion to hold a contest open to all Alaskan children grades 7 – 12 to design Alaska’s new flag. For decades, officials believed Benson was 13 years old when he created the iconic design — featuring In 1926, the American Legion in Alaska held a contest for students in grades 7-12 to design a flag for the state. Before 1927, Alaska did not have a flag. By January of 1927, the contest rules were circulated to schools throughout the territory. Jul 9, 2021 · Today in 1929, the then-territory of Alaska flew its flag for the first time. Since Alaska was purchased from Russia in 1867, Alaskans had flown only the U. Benny’s design was simple yet Flying of the flag of Alaska and the American flag. The Alaska Legislature adopted Benson's design as the official flag for the Territory of Alaska on May 2, 1927. Benny Benson, a Mar 10, 2022 · More than 30 years before Alaska became a state, teenager Benny Benson designed its flag. yqhlxomqfnsintxiqhojqaeoxyhmfsotalpgktbojceqmbggoargs