Wyoming's 44th star

One might consider the 20-foot by 30-foot American flag that hung in Jackson recently as a New Glory, one that has six more stars than the Old Glory of Wyoming statehood days.

When Congress admitted Wyoming to the Union on July 10, 1890 as the 44th state, that called for adoption of a new flag with another star. The flag with 44 stars became official on July 4, 1891 - Independence Day is the official day of all American flag changes.

The Wyoming flag was an upgrade from the 43-star version that became official July 4, 1890, a day after Idaho's admittance, and which flew for only a year. 

The 44-star flag flew for five years, during the administrations of Presidents Benjamin Harrison and Grover Cleveland, until 1896 when Utah entered the Union.

Back in the 44-star era, there was no official pattern for the arrangement of white stars on the field of blue, according to a brief history at Bonsell Americana, which listed a 44-star, 24-inch by 31-inch cotton flag with stars in medallion pattern.

The circular arrangement is "one of the most beautiful and desirable patterns," among flag aficionados, according to the Hillsdale, Illinois antique dealer, which specializes in older banners. "Perfect for advanced collectors," Bonsell Americana wrote in a description.

Anthony's Fine Art in Salt Lake City lists a 44-star American Flag with a medallion pattern for $2,750. A 44-star medallion flag from the estate of Katharine "Kitty-Sue" Pease, a southern California mom and one-time president of the Santa Monica Antique Market Dealers Assn., was put on the block earlier this summer with an estimated value of $200-$300.

It sold for $2125 in an auction run by Jeffrey S. Evans and Associates of Mt. Crawford, Virginia. Bonsell lists its 44-star medallion for $6450, Heather Bonsell wrote in an email.

Star patterns became officially linear in 1912 under President William Howard Taft's executive order, according to Bonsell Americana. Today the flag's 50 stars are arranged in "nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars."

If one were to count the stars from top left to bottom right in order of admittance, Wyoming's - unofficial - star would be in the second to last row, farthest star from the pole.

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Photo by Jeffrey S. Evans and Associates/screengrab

A 44-star American flag with a medallion pattern of stars sold at an auction this summer for $2125.