| Montana State Flag |
Since 1905 there have been just two modifications of the State Flag.
The 1981 Legislature passed a bill requiring the state flag to bear the word "Montana" in Roman letters above the seal. Rep. Mel Williams of Laurel and his wife Eugenia presented the idea, pointing out that without the letters, the old flag looked too much like those of other states.
That same year Secretary of State Jim Waltermire laid down the first specifications for the exact colors of the state seal on the state flag. They ranged from a gold sky with white clouds and white sunrays to blue and white waterfalls.
Then in 1985, Legislators passed another bill requiring the word "Montana" above the great seal of the state on the flag to be in "Helvetica bold letter," a specific kind of Roman letters. This eliminated a variety of letter styles being used on the flag.
Mel and Eugenia Williams' 1981 model flag with the gold letters sewn on joined Colonel Kessler's Montana flag in the Montana Historical Society' permanent collection.
Special Acknowledgements to: Montana Historical Society, Rex C. Meyers and Norma B. Ashby.
Courtesy of State of Montana
