The 46th Star
Even though Oklahoma gained statehood on November 16, 1907, it wasn’t until February 27, 1908 (1), that Oklahoma’s star was officially added to the United States of America’s flag. This 46-star flag flew over our country for four years, from July 4, 1908, to July 3, 1912.
Oklahoma’s 46 Star
Did you know the 46-star USA flag wasn’t the only 46-star flag to fly over Oklahoma?
Believe it or not, Oklahoma didn’t adopt a state flag until 1911. No, it wasn’t the blue one you see today. Oklahoma’s first flag was a red banner with a five-pointed white star in its center, and in the center of the star was a blue “46”. This red “46” star flag flew over Oklahoma from 1911 to 1925.
Red Scare and Blue Skies
This magnificently unique flag would be replaced in 1924 because of a red scare. In the 1920s, opposition to communism was on the rise in America. The color red and red flags were being associated with communism. So, this led to a contest to replace Oklahoma’s flag, and the design by Louise Fluke of Shawnee, Oklahoma, was selected.
The new flag had a sky-blue banner with an Osage shield in its center. The shield was round with six crosses on it. Hanging from the shield are seven feathers. Crossing the shield are a peace pipe and an olive branch.
This flag would fly over Oklahoma until 1941, when someone came up with the idea to modify the design by adding the word “Oklahoma” on the bottom of it. I have no idea why; something to promote literacy, maybe.
Standardization
In 2006, there would be another slight modification to standardize the colors and shapes of the flag by law. This would be the flag you’ll see flying over Oklahoma today.
Side note
(1) For years, the February 27, 1908, date has been shared on various “This Day in History” websites as to when the 46th star was added. However, I’m having difficulty finding documentation on that. Officially, as with all new U.S. flags, the flag began flying on July 4th.
I did find a few articles in The Oklahoman in March 1908 that mention a 46-star flag. A 46-star U.S. Flag was being displayed in the state then. In May 1908, Oklahoma seamstresses were organized to make some 46-star flags to fly in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for the official flag ceremony on July 1908.
The Oklahoman, March 04, 1908, Page 1, "Scrap for Flag with 46th Star"
The Oklahoman, March 11, 1908, Page 7, "Ferris Wants State to Replvey The Flag"
The Oklahoman, March 17, 1908, Page 8, "Flag Design Adopted"
The Oklahoman, July 05, 1908, Page 13, "Oklahoma Star on Flags Flown In Quaker City"
Muskogee Phoenix, March 8, 2020, "Three Forks History: Betsy Rosses of Oklahoma created 46-star flag"
The Oklahoman, July 3, 2009, "A very special Forth"
Presidential Preferential Primary Election
On March 5, 2024, Oklahomans will have a chance to select their party's nominee for President of the United States. Only three parties will be on the ballot: Democrat, Libertarian, and Republican. The state of Oklahoma currently does not officially recognize any other political parties. Oklahoma also has a closed primary system, meaning you can only vote in your registered party’s primary. There is one exception. This year, the Democrats have invited Independent voters to participate in their primary.
Here are the candidates listed on your party’s primary ballot:
Democrat: Joseph R Biden Jr, Marianne Williamson, Cenk Uygur, Stephen Lyons, Armando Mando Perez-Serrato, and Dean Phillips.
Libertarian: Chase Oliver and Jacob Hornberger.
Republican: Asa Hutchinson, Vivek Ramaswamy, Ron Desantis, Ryan L. Binkley, David Stuckenberg, Donald J. Trump, Nikki Haley, and Chris Christie.
The presidential primary is statewide. However, these counties have something extra on the ballot:
Blaine County: Town of Canton: 2 Propositions
Canadian County: Proposition
Carter County: Mannsville Public School: Board Member
Cleaveland County: City of Norman: Proposition
Creek County: City of Oilton, 2 Propositions
Dewey County: Proposition and Sharon-Mutual Public School: Proposition
Johnston County: Mannsville Public School: Board Member
Logan County: 3 Propositions
McIntosh County: Proposition
Major County: Proposition
Muskogee County: Town of Haskell: Proposition
Wagoner County: 8 Propositions
Woodward County: Sharon-Mutual Public Schools: Proposition
If your county, city, or district is listed, you can review these propositions by logging into the Oklahoma Voters Portal to view a sample ballot.
In person early voting is available Thursday, February 29, 8:00 am – 6:00 pm; Friday, March 1, 8:00 am – 6:00 pm; and Saturday, March 2, 8:00 am – 2:00 pm. Please visit the Oklahoma Elections Board for details on early voting.
The polls will be open on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.
Please, go vote.
In The News
A look at some of the latest headlines from around Oklahoma and beyond.
Wagoner County's 'half a penny campaign' draws debate over real cost of tax propositions | KTUL
Polling Place Change for Precincts 202 & 303 in Roger Mills County | KECO 96.5FM
Vigils held nationwide for nonbinary Oklahoma teen who died following school fight | KOSU
Oklahoma Board of Education approves slate of new, amended rules at February meeting | KGOU
Facing Walters' accreditation threat, EPS asks OK Supreme Court to block OSDE book rules | Nondoc
Once a target for online attacks, Union school librarian honored by district | Public Radio Tulsa
Deadline looms for SoonerCare members to choose SoonerSelect health plans, says OHCA | KOKH
Oklahoma Senate approves grocery tax cut. Measure heads to Gov. Kevin Stitt’s desk. | Oklahoma Voice
Oklahoma City Baseball Club rebrands, working toward Opening Day and beyond | The Journal Record
Officials roll out Oklahoma-developed fire hotspot notification tool | KOKH
AT&T will give $5 to customers hit by cellphone network outage | AP News
Keep your phone number private with Signal usernames | Signal Blog
About Oklahoma: Dewey County
Welcome to Dewey County.
Dewy County is in western Oklahoma. The county was formed in 1891 as County D when the Cheyenne and Arapaho reservation was opened for settlement. In an 1898 election, voters named the county after Spanish–American War Admiral George Dewey.
Taloga, Oklahoma, located near the center of the county along U.S. Highway 183, is the county seat. Seiling, Oklahoma, in the northern part of the county, is the county’s largest city by population.
Other notable communities include Leedey, Camargo, and Vici in the western, Putnam in the southern, and Oakwood in the eastern parts of the county.
The county is also home to Canton Lake, which it shares with neighboring Blaine County.
Established: 1892
County Seat: Taloga, Oklahoma 73667
Nation: Cheyenne - Arapaho
Map: Google Maps
Area: 1,008 mi2 (2,610 km2)
Population: 4,484 (2020 Census)
Time Zone: UTC−6 (Central), DST observed
Area Code: 580
Congressional District: 3
State House District: 59
State Senate District: 27
Weather: NWS Norman
Tourism Region: Red Carpet Country
History: Oklahoma Historical Society
Historic Places: Exploring Oklahoma History
More Information: Wikipedia
Extras
Here are some more things I hope you'll find interesting.
Why a Tire Company Gives Out Food’s Most Famous Award | Tasting History with Max Miller
A Regional Oklahoma Burger Made The Right Way! - Theta Burger Copycat! | Ballistic Burgers
Why We Can’t Build Better Cities (ft. Not Just Bikes) | Philosophy Tube
Getting in Shape by Sketchy Treadmill over 1 Year | ElectroBOOM
The Dark Side Of The Moon - 50th Anniversary - 2023 Remaster | Pink Floyd
Feedback Welcome
If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to leave a comment on Substrack, email me at blogoklahoma@blogoklahoma.net, or connect with me at Mastodon at @blogoklahoma@social.tulsa.ok.us, Threads at @blogoklahoma@threads.net, or Bluesky at @blogoklahoma.bsky.social.
Have a great week.
– K.
Update: I fixed a typo under side notes. I've been seeing some odd copy and paste errors from Markdown Monster into Substack's editor (Win10). I'll endeavor to watch for those next time. It'll change my workflow a bit, but I might have to ditch Markdown Monster for the newsletter if this keeps happening.