| OUR STATE FLAG The Colorado State Flag was designed in 1911 by Andrew
Carlisle Carson, and adopted by the Colorado General Assembly (our state legislature) on
June 5, 1911. The flag consists of three equal stripes, blue on the top and bottom
with a white stripe in the enter. On the face of the flag is a red letter
"C" for "Colorado" and inside the letter itself is a golden disc.
The colors themselves are symbolic of the colors found in our State's geography:
Gold for the large amount of SUNSHINE we receive.
White for our snowcapped mountains.
Blue for our clear, blue skies.
- Red, for the reddish color of much of our ground.
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Our flag has changed
very little since it was authorized in 1911. In the early days there was
disagreement about the "tone" of the colors, so in 1929 our General Assembly
stipulated that the Red, White and Blue of our State Flag would be the same shade as the
Red, White and Blue of our United States Flag. The only other change occurred in
1964 when the General Assembly established guidelines for the size and position of the
letter "C". It is supposed to be circular (not an oblong "c"
that is two-thirds the height of the flag, and positioned towards the
"pole-edge" of the flag, not centered. |
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| THE COLORADO STATE SEAL The Seal Of the State of Colorado is maintained by the
Secretary of State, who is the ONLY official authorized to affix it to a document.
The first Territorial Seal was designed by Lewis Ledyard Weld whom President Abraham
Lincoln appointed to be our Territorial Secretary in 1861. It is also believed that
Territorial Governor William Gilpin assisted in the design of the Territorial Seal. |
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Our State Seal is
almost identical to the ORIGINAL Territorial Seal adopted by the First Territorial
Assembly in 1861...fifteen years before Colorado became a state. The Seal is in the
shape of a circle, two and a half inches in diameter. At the top is a pyramid
containing the "eye of God" with golden rays radiating in both directions. |
Below the "Eye of
God" is a ROMAN FACES. The FACES in ancient Rome was a symbol of higher
magistrate's authority and was carried ahead of the magistrates by officials known as
"lictors". The faces consisted of a bundle of rods, usually birch or elm,
symbolizing the power of magistrates to punish those who committed a crime. The rods
were bound together by a scarlet cord, and protruding from the bundle was an ax which, in
ancient Rome, symbolized the power over life and death.
Today the faces has come to symbolize a republican
form of government. The bundle of rods reminds us that there is strength in
numbers...a bundle of sticks is much harder to break and individual sticks. The ax
has come to symbolize authority and leadership.
Below the faces is the heraldic shield representing
our state itself. In the red field at the top of the shield are three snow-capped
mountains with clouds above them. The golden, lower portion of the shield contains a
crossed sledge hammer and pick...both tools of the gold miners who helped to build our
state.
Below the shield is a semi-circular scroll
bearing our State's motto, "Nil Sine Numine".
The only change our Seal has undergone from the
original Territorial Seal is in the outer circle of red. The original seal bore the
words "Territory of Colorado". Our Seal now identifies us as the
"State of Colorado" and shows the date of our statehood, "1876". |
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| OUR STATE MOTTO Our State Motto is a Latin phrase. "Nil" means
NOT or NOTHING and "Sine" means WITHOUT. The Latin word "Numine"
has been the subject of some disagreement.
In the early days of our Territory and State when
the quest for gold and the riches it afforded were so important, some residents jokingly
inferred that the State's motto meant "NOTHING WITHOUT A NEW MINE!" On a
more serious level, others argued that it meant "Nothing Without
Providence". The use of the word "Providence" would be consistent
with terminology used by other states to justify thinking of the time that Divine
Providence directed the events of our young Nation. Actually the word
"Numine" refers to a divine being, whether god or goddess. Perhaps the
best interpretation for our motto is:
"Nothing without the Deity" |
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| STATE ANIMAL |
ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIG HORN SHEEP (Ovis canadensis) |
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Rocky
Mountain Big Horn Sheep are native to Colorado and can be found only in the Rocky
Mountains, usually above the timberline. They are the largest and most widely known
wild sheep on the North American Continent. They are renown for their exceptional
sight, smell and hearing, but are best known for their incredible balance and agility.
They can navigate some of the most rugged terrain, and leap from place to place at
great speed. Their hooves have shock-absorbing elastic pads that grip even the most
slippery surfaces.
The huge circular horns of
the rams curl backwards and then return to the front, sometimes making a full circle
("full-curl"). The female sheep has smaller horns that rarely grow longer
than 15 inches. |
Designated our STATE
ANIMAL in 1961, it is illegal to pursue, hunt, wound, or kill them (except as expressly
provided by State Law). The profile of a large ram is the official symbol of the
Colorado Department of Wildlife, and appears on official vehicles and most official forms. |
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| STATE BIRD |
LARK BUNTING (Calamospiza
melanocoryus Stejneger) |
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The Lark Bunting is an annual
visitor to Colorado, migrating into our plains areas in April, then returning south in
September. During the winter months the male and female look quite similar except
that the males are slightly larger. The rest of the year the male is black with
white wing patches and edging. The Lark Bunting was chosen as our STATE BIRD on
April 29, 1931. |
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| STATE FISH |
GREENBACK CUTTHROAT TROUT (Oncorhynchus clarki somias) |
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Greenback Cutthroat Trout are a
member of the trout, salmon and whitefish family. They have dark, round spots on the
sides and tail but are distinguished from other cutthroat trout by their larger but fewer
number of spots. The red stripes on each side of the throat is common to cutthroat
trout, and is the feature that gave them their name. They are a coldwater fish that
prefer cold, clear, gravel-bottom streams and lakes. |
In the 1980s it
appeared that the Greenback Cutthroat was in danger of extinction, and they were placed on
the Endangered Species lists. Colorado, in co-operation with other States and the
Federal Government, has worked hard to re-introduce this colorful fish to our lakes and
rivers. For many years the more common Rainbow Trout was considered by many
Coloradoans to be our State Fish, but no official action was ever taken to designate it as
such. On March 15, 1994 the Colorado General Assembly took formal action to
officially recognize our State Fish...not the Rainbow Trout...The Greenback Cutthroat. |
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| STATE INSECT |
COLORADO HAIRSTREAK BUTTERFLY (Hypaurotis cysaluswas) |
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Yes, there is an official State
Insect, thanks to a group of Colorado students who lobbied the State's General Assembly in
1996. The Hairstreak Butterfly lives high in the mountains (usually from 6,500 to
7,500 feet) on both sides of the Continental divide, and looks like the butterfly at the
left. It's actual size is about two inches in width from wing tip to wing tip. |
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| STATE TREE |
COLORADO BLUE SPRUCE (Picea
pungens) |
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| STATE FLOWER |
ROCKY MOUNTAIN COLUMBINE
(Aguilebia caerules) |
Photo by Piaw Na
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| STATE GEMSTONE |
AQUAMARINE |
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| STATE SONG |
 Click on the Red Button to PLAY our State Song. |
"WHERE THE COLUMBINES GROW"
Words and music by: A.
J. Flynn (1915)
Where the snowy peaks gleam in the moonlight,
Above the dark forests of pine,
And the wild foaming waters dash onward,
Toward lands where the tropic stars shine;
Where the scream of the bold mountain eagle,
Responds to the notes of the dove,
Is the purple robed West, the land that is best,
The pioneer land that we love.
CHORUS
Tis the land where the columbines grow,
Overlooking the plains far below,
While the cool summer breeze in the evergreen trees
Softly sings where the columbines grow.
VERSE TWO
The bison is gone from the upland,
The deer from the canyon has fled,
The home of the wolf is deserted,
The antelope moans for his dead,
The war whoop re-echoes no longer,
The Indian's only a name,
And the nymphs of the grove in their loneliness rove,
But the columbine blooms just the same.
VERSE THREE
Let the violet brighten the brookside,
In sunlight of earlier spring,
Let the fair clover bedeck the green meadow,
In days when the orioles sing,
Let the golden rod herald the autumn,
But, under the midsummer sky,
In its fair Western home, may the columbine bloom,
Till our great mountain rivers run dry.
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"Where the Columbines Grow" was adopted as the State Song of the State of
Colorado by the General Assembly on May 8, 1915. |
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OTHER STATE SYMBOLS: |
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| STATE FOSSIL: |
The Stegosaurus |
| STATE GRASS: |
Blue Grama Grass |
| STATE FOLK DANCE: |
The Square Dance |
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