Flags of Our Nation
Arizona

Issue Date:  June 14, 2008
City:  Washington, DC

The Arizona State Flag is based on an original design created for the Arizona National Guard Rifle Team in 1910.  Colonel Charles Wilfred Harris worked with Carl Hayden, Arizona’s first representative in Congress, to create a banner that reflected Arizona’s history and values.  Arizona achieved statehood on February 14, 1912.  Colonel Harris, who was appointed as the Adjutant General of Arizona, used the rifle team flag as the model for the new state’s flag. 

The top half of the flag symbolizes the original 13 American colonies and the western setting sun.  The copper star signifies Arizona’s status as the largest copper-producing state in the U.S.  The red and yellow colors found in the rays of the setting sun represent the colors flown by Francisco Vasquez de Coronado and the Spanish Conquistadors.

The Arizona State Flag stamp is part of the 2008 Flags of Our Nation Series.