States101 
Montana
State Flag
The Montana flag was formally adopted on December 17, 1981. Since, Montana has maintained the same flag for the last 43 years.
The Montana flag was voted 55th best out of 51 Flags ranked by the North American Vexillological Association.
The 5 main colors in the Montana flag are #002A86, #FFD90F, #A2D100, #E8D9A8, and #000000. The Montana flag width is 1.5 times the height. Standard flag size is 3 feet x 4.5 feet.
We also provide high resolution and Scalar Vector Graph (SVG) downloadable images — free of charge. Go to Flag Downloads.
Buy Your Montana State Flag Now!Montana Flag
Colors
| #002A86 | 84.1% |
| #FFD90F | 4.9% |
| #A2D100 | 1.9% |
| #E8D9A8 | 1.4% |
| #000000 | 1.3% |
Description
You can't miss the Montana state flag with its large gold letters proudly displaying the state's name on top. These prominent letters should be equal to a tenth of the vertical measurement of the flag. Other than that, the state flag doesn't have many signs and symbols, only the seal of the state of Montana against a background of blue. The seal contains scenery of the Great Falls of the Missouri river and the landscape of Montana. A pick, shovel, and plow lay on the lush grass next to the rolling river with the sun peaking over the mountains. The Spanish words and state motto "Oro y plata," meaning "Gold and Silver" appear on a flowing ribbon at the bottom of the seal. The flag has gold fringes on the upper and lower borders.
Meaning
The seal represents the beautiful scenery of the state. It also shows the economic activities of the state's early dwellers by including a pick, shovel and plow that indicate mining and farming. The words, "Gold and Silver" are written in Spanish which show the early claim by the Spanish on this territory. These words coupled with the sun shining abundantly over the landscape represent the fortunes found from large gold and silver deposits in the Montana Mountains.
History
In 1898, the First Montana Infantry, comprised of volunteers from different communities, aided in the war against Spain under the guidance of Colonel Kessler. Since Montana did not have a flag back then, the customary U.S flag with 45 stars was provided. However, Colonel Kessler didn't feel this flag properly distinguished his men from other regiments so he designed his own. Kessler's flag contained the seal of Montana against a dark blue field and contained the words "1st Montana Infantry U.S.V." above the image. This flag was proudly used by the volunteers throughout the war and also gained a lot of recognition from the residents of Montana. When the colonel returned home, he handed his flag to the governor, who saw its great potential for state-wide use. Then in 1905, the legislature adopted the flag for the state, though without the words, "1st Montana Infantry U.S.V."
Since then, a few changes have been made to the original flag. In 1981, the legislature passed a law that made it a requirement for the state's name to appear above the seal in gold. In 1985, the legislature decided to standardize the flag with a specific font: Helvetica Bold. This way, all Montana flags should look the same.
Contribute: This article was written by users like you! If you can improve or add to this article, please Contact Us with your suggestions. Be sure to mention which state you are referring too!
Download Montana State Flag
Download Montana State Flag as a high quality SVG file. Scaler Vector Images (SVGs) look good at any size. This flag can be used as tiny icons (height less than 50px) or you can make the flag huge (height over 2000px) and still look great!
Or, you can Download All State Flags!
We also provide a large black and white Montana Flag Line Drawings for download. This coloring-book style image are perfect for student activities.
Link To Us
If you use these flags on your own website, please provide a link back to us. Your link ensures others can find these images too. When using our black and white line drawings, a link back to use is required. For all other flags, a link back is optional but greatly appreciated.
Simply copy the code below and insert it on pages where you display the flags. If you are not a developer, please direct your web developer to this page or provide them with the code snippet below.