45-Star American Flag, Printed on Cotton, Celebrating Utah Statehood, 1896-1908

This 45-star United States flag celebrates the statehood of Utah. 45-star flags served as the official American flag from 1896-1908. This particular flag was flown as a parade flag. The stars on the flag’s bright blue canton are arranged in six rows of stars, in a 7/8/8/8/8/6 configuration. Thirteen red and white stripes complete the flag design.  Utah became the 45th state in 1896 after attempting to gain statehood for many years. Utah's statehood was delayed primarily due to the fact that the Mormon Church and Utah authorities continued to be openly tolerant of polygamy. In 1890, Mormon Church President Wilford Woodruff published a manifesto that denounced the contract of “any marriages forbidden by the law of the land”. This gave way to Utah’s acceptance into the Union. The 45 star flag was generally used from that year until 1907, when Oklahoma joined the Union. Due to the 1898 Spanish-American War and Teddy Roosevelt’s famous world tour of the “White Fleet,” launched in 1907, this