By Katie Myers
Eighty-six years ago
today, the Alaska Legislature adopted the official flag of the Territory of
Alaska. The flag, designed by 13-year-old John Ben “Benny” Benson, an Aleut
originally from Chignik, was the winner in the Alaska Department of the
American Legion’s 1926 contest for 7th-12th graders. In
his original entry, Benny wrote:
“The blue field is
for the Alaska sky and the forget-me-not, an Alaskan flower. The North Star is
for the future state of Alaska, the most northerly in the union. The Dipper is
for the Great Bear – symbolizing strength.”
The Territorial
Legislature unanimously adopted Benson’s flag on May 2, 1927, and passed an act
proclaiming it the official flag of the territory. In part, the act stated:
“The design of the
official flag is eight gold stars in a field of blue, so selected for its
simplicity, its originality and its symbolism. . . . The stars, seven of which
form the constellation Ursa Major, the Great Bear, the most conspicuous
constellation the Northern sky, contains the stars which form the ‘Dipper,’
including ‘pointers‘ which point toward the eighth star in the flag, Polaris,
the North Star, the ever constant star for the mariner, the explorer, hunter,
trapper, prospector, woodsman, and the surveyor. For Alaska the Northernmost
star in the galaxy of stars and which at some future time will take its place
as the Forty-ninth star on our National Emblem.”
This simple flag
inspired Marie Drake, a secretary to the Commissioner of Education, to write
the stirring poem “Alaska’s Flag” in 1935. Soon after, in 1938, Elinor
Dusenbury, the wife of the Commanding Officer of the Chilkoot Barracks at
Haines from 1933-1936, composed the familiar song to Drake’s words. She said, “I wrote the music for Marie’s beautiful poetry from pure unadulterated
homesickness for Alaska! I shed more tears on the boat going out than I ever
have before or since.”
In 1955, when the Alaska
Constitutional Convention gathered, Benny Benson was invited as a guest of
honor. When he was introduced, he was greeted by a standing ovation. Benson
later said, “The noise was so loud I couldn’t hear a thing; people whistled and
hollered and stamped.” The convention fittingly ended with the crowd singing
the “Alaska’s Flag” song.
When Alaska became a
state, the flag became the state flag, and the song became the state song.
Today, the work of
these three people; the simple, clean and meaningful design of a remarkable teenage
boy, the emotional words of a poet, and the score inspired by homesickness that
even today, brings tears to some Alaskans’ eyes when they hear it; are
inseparable from Alaska. The flag, poem, and song ARE Alaska, and the stories
of the creative trio who made it happen are still inspiring to this day.
More information on
the Alaska Flag can be found on Museums Alaska ‘s website here:
