On April 2, beginning at 3 p.m., a ceremony in the Devon Great Hall of the Oklahoma History Center will commemorate Oklahoma’s current state flag, first adopted on April 2, 1925. Speakers will make presentations on the history and significance of Oklahoma’s State flags at the event.

One hundred years ago, on April 2, 1925, the state adopted a new flag design featuring an Osage shield on a blue background. A bison hide war shield belonging to Chief Black Dog II in the Oklahoma Historical Society’s collections from the 1890s was the inspiration for our current state flag. The artifact has six crosses representing stars painted on one side of the shield, depicting the night sky. The other side of the shield represents the sun. Hanging eagle feathers are attached to its outer rim. The artifact inspired artist Louise Funk Fluke when she was creating her entry for a statewide contest held by the Oklahoma Daughters of the American Revolution for a new design of Oklahoma’s State Flag. She studied Oklahoma history, examined various artifacts, and consulted with Dr. Joseph B. Thoburn of the OHS. She ultimately decided to make the Osage shield central to her design. Fluke won the contest, and the state officially adopted the design for its flag in 1925. In 1941, the word “Oklahoma” was added beneath the shield, and a 1988 resolution defined the colors for the background, shield, feathers, crosses, and calumet.

Honey Springs Battlefield will hold its annual memorial service on Saturday, July 19, at 10:30 a.m., to honor the 162nd anniversary of the Battle of Honey Springs near Checotah. The service commemorates the largest of approximately 107 documented Civil War military engagements throughout Indian Territory in present-day Oklahoma. The engagement took place at the Honey Springs settlement, Muscogee (Creek) Nation, on July 17, 1863, just two weeks after the famous Battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg. Approximately 9,000 Union and Confederate…