Alaska's Flag

Seventh-grade student Benny Benson won a statewide contest to design the new flag for the territory in 1926. He placed the Big Dipper and the North Star—eight stars of gold—on a blue background. The blue represented the blue sky of Alaska and the blue of the state flower, the forget-me-not. The Alaska Territorial Legislature officially adopted the design in 1927.

Benny Benson Interview from LitSite Alaska on Vimeo.

Alaska's Song

“Alaska's Flag” was adopted as the official state song by the Alaska Territorial Legislature in 1955. The lyrics for Alaska's official state song were written by Marie Drake initially as a poem. The music was written by Elinor Dusenbury.

Fran Ulmer Sings the Alaska Flag Song from LitSite Alaska on Vimeo