Alaska's Flag
The flag of the state of Alaska
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State anthem of Alaska |
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| Lyrics | Marie Drake, 1935 |
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| Music | Elinor Dusenbury, 1938 |
| Adopted | 1959 |
"Alaska's Flag" is the state song of Alaska.
Unique among state songs, its lyrics explain the symbolism of the Alaskan flag. The lyrics are:
Eight stars of gold on a field of blue
Alaska's flag. May it mean to you
The blue of the sea, the evening sky,
The mountain lakes, and the flow'rs nearby;
The gold of the early sourdough's dreams,
The precious gold of the hills and streams;
The brilliant stars in the northern sky,
The "Bear," the "Dipper," and, shining high,
The great North Star with its steady light,
O'er land and sea a beacon bright.
Alaska's flag to Alaskans dear,
The simple flag of a last frontier.
The connection between the song and the flag happened both by design and circumstance. It was the result of the linkage among three individuals: Benny Benson, Marie Drake, and Elinor Dusenbury. They did not directly collaborate, but instead Marie Drake built on the work of Benny Benson, and Elinor Dusenbury built on the work of the other two. Benny Benson inspired the effort, Marie Drake wrote the lyrics, and Elinor Dusenbury composed the song.
Alaska's official flag is based on Benny Benson's design, which was submitted in a Territory-wide contest for schoolchildren sponsored by the American Legion in 1926. At that time Benny was a thirteen-year-old seventh-grader of Russian-Aleut and Swedish descent, studying at the Territorial School at Seward and a resident of the Jesse Lee Mission Home. The Alaska Territorial Legislature officially adopted his design on May 2, 1927. The proclamation praised his winning entry for, "its simplicity, its originality and its symbolism." On the design submission, Benny had written the following words of explanation: “The blue field is for the Alaska sky and the forget-me-not, an Alaska flower. The North Star is for the future of the state of Alaska, the most northerly in the Union. The dipper is for the Great Bear — symbolizing strength.”
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