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history
The present Oklahoma State Flag adopted by the State Legislature in 1925, is Oklahoma's 14th flag. This shows a sky blue field with a central device: an Indian war shield of tan buckskin showing small crosses on the face -- the Indian design for stars -- and seven eagle feathers pendent for the edge of the shield. An Indian peace pipe (calumet) with a pipestone bowl and a tassel at the end of the pipestem lies on the shield; above the Indian peace pipe is an olive branch, the white man's emblem of peace.
Nickname: The Sooner State.
Capital: Oklahoma City.
Constitution: The 46th State.
Statehood: November 16th 1907.
Motto: Labor Omnia Vincit (Labour Conquers All Things)
History:
Bands of American Indians once roamed the plains of the region. They followed the huge herds of buffalo that lived on the grasslands.
Spanish explorers, searching for gold, first reached the Oklahoma region in 1541. In 1682, the French claimed a vast region that included the Oklahoma area. France ceded the region to Spain in 1762, then regained it in 1800. The United States purchased the region in 1803.
The federal government forced Indian tribes of the southeastern United States to move to the Oklahoma area. But by the late 1800's, the government had opened much of the Indians' land to white settlement.
The state suffered many hardships during the Great Depression of the 1930's, including a severe drought. Small farmers went out of business, and many people left the state.
During World War II (1939-1945), Oklahoma's major products--food and fuels--again came into great demand. After the war, the state's economy began to shift from an agricultural to an industrial base. During the 1980's, deep declines in agricultural prices, and in oil and gas prices, hurt Oklahoma's economy.
Bird:
Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher Muscivora forficata, is a somewhat quiet bird with beautiful plumage and a long sleek tail that is twice as long as its body. The deeply-forked tail resembles a pair of scissors. The Scissor Tailed Flycatcher has a black and white tail, a dark grey back, a light grey chest and head and has pale orange red colouring beneath its wings.
Economy:
Agriculture: Cattle, wheat, milk, poultry, cotton.
Industry: Transportation equipment, machinery, electric products, rubber and plastic products, food processing.
Flower:
Mistletoe phoradendron serotinum the oldest of Oklahoma's symbols, adopted in 1893 - 14 years before statehood. Mistletoe grows on trees throughout the state and is particularly bountiful in the southern regions of Oklahoma. The dark green leaves and white berries show up brightly during the fall and winter in trees that have shed their own leaves.
Origin of state's name:
Based on Choctaw Indian words for "red man".
Seal:
Oklahoma has for its state seal a symbol that was developed from the history of the state. The central figures and wreath are from the Great Seal of the Territory of Oklahoma. In each of the five rays of the main star in the Great Seal of the state is the official seal of one of the Five Civilized Indian Nations that together comprised most of the area of present eastern Oklahoma. The upward ray depicts the seal of the Chickasaw Nation with an Indian warrior holding a bow and shield. In the upper left-hand ray is the seven-pointed star bearing a wreath of oak leaves which comprises the seal of the Cherokee Nation. The emblem of the Choctaw Nation is in the upper right-hand ray and is composed of a tomahawk, a bow, and three crossed arrows. In the lower left-hand ray is the seal of the Creek Nation, depicted by a sheaf of wheat and a plow. The lower right-hand ray shows houses, and a factory on the shore of a lake, on which is an Indian hunter paddling a canoe and this comprises the seal of the Seminole Nation. Forty-five small stars surround the central star and these represent the forty-five states that made up the Union at the time Oklahoma became a state on November 16, 1907.
Tree:
Redbud Cercis canadensis. The Redbud grows in the valleys and ravines of Oklahoma. In early spring, its reddish-pink blossoms brighten the landscape throughout the state.
Bands of American Indians once roamed the plains of the region. They followed the huge herds of buffalo that lived on the grasslands.
Spanish explorers, searching for gold, first reached the Oklahoma region in 1541. In 1682, the French claimed a vast region that included the Oklahoma area. France ceded the region to Spain in 1762, then regained it in 1800. The United States purchased the region in 1803.
The federal government forced Indian tribes of the southeastern United States to move to the Oklahoma area. But by the late 1800's, the government had opened much of the Indians' land to white settlement.
The state suffered many hardships during the Great Depression of the 1930's, including a severe drought. Small farmers went out of business, and many people left the state.
During World War II (1939-1945), Oklahoma's major products--food and fuels--again came into great demand. After the war, the state's economy began to shift from an agricultural to an industrial base. During the 1980's, deep declines in agricultural prices, and in oil and gas prices, hurt Oklahoma's economy.
Bird:
Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher Muscivora forficata, is a somewhat quiet bird with beautiful plumage and a long sleek tail that is twice as long as its body. The deeply-forked tail resembles a pair of scissors. The Scissor Tailed Flycatcher has a black and white tail, a dark grey back, a light grey chest and head and has pale orange red colouring beneath its wings.
Economy:
Agriculture: Cattle, wheat, milk, poultry, cotton.
Industry: Transportation equipment, machinery, electric products, rubber and plastic products, food processing.
Flower:
Mistletoe phoradendron serotinum the oldest of Oklahoma's symbols, adopted in 1893 - 14 years before statehood. Mistletoe grows on trees throughout the state and is particularly bountiful in the southern regions of Oklahoma. The dark green leaves and white berries show up brightly during the fall and winter in trees that have shed their own leaves.
Origin of state's name:
Based on Choctaw Indian words for "red man".
Seal:
Oklahoma has for its state seal a symbol that was developed from the history of the state. The central figures and wreath are from the Great Seal of the Territory of Oklahoma. In each of the five rays of the main star in the Great Seal of the state is the official seal of one of the Five Civilized Indian Nations that together comprised most of the area of present eastern Oklahoma. The upward ray depicts the seal of the Chickasaw Nation with an Indian warrior holding a bow and shield. In the upper left-hand ray is the seven-pointed star bearing a wreath of oak leaves which comprises the seal of the Cherokee Nation. The emblem of the Choctaw Nation is in the upper right-hand ray and is composed of a tomahawk, a bow, and three crossed arrows. In the lower left-hand ray is the seal of the Creek Nation, depicted by a sheaf of wheat and a plow. The lower right-hand ray shows houses, and a factory on the shore of a lake, on which is an Indian hunter paddling a canoe and this comprises the seal of the Seminole Nation. Forty-five small stars surround the central star and these represent the forty-five states that made up the Union at the time Oklahoma became a state on November 16, 1907.
Tree:
Redbud Cercis canadensis. The Redbud grows in the valleys and ravines of Oklahoma. In early spring, its reddish-pink blossoms brighten the landscape throughout the state.